Although things are significantly slowing down at the allotment, we have planted some perpetual spinach and rainbow chard which may well take us through until next year. It certainly keeps replacing itself in a vary pleasing manner. All I am doing is snipping away and a week or two later, back it is again.
I have also just harvested my very last batch of Festival Squash. I must have at least eight good sized specimens which will come in very useful for my children’s Halloween themed garage cake sale next weekend. The plan is that they, along with some help from me, get to sell some cakes outside our garage to earn themselves some pocket money.
Although, I have let them know that a percentage of their money will go to a local charity and I will take out a little for expenses and they can share the profit three ways. I think this will be an enjoyable way for them to learn about the value of hard work and reward and a good exercise in numeracy skills as well as PR and marketing.
Stage 1 is complete. They have distributed their flyers. The PR exercise was a reasonable success. The idea being to knock on a few of our neighbours doors and tell them face to face about their plans. I was hoping their sweetness and enthusiasm could earn them a few extra pennies. But, no. The old lady that backs onto our garden to them to “GO AWAY!”. Great, another lesson learned. Not everyone will buy into your idea.
I will be posting the cake sale news, success or failure (not sure yet) next weekend but for now I have a simple recipe which makes use of squash or pumpkins. It is the sort of soup that is great as a main meal, packed full of good home grown veg in my case but the addition of egg noodles turns it into a satisfying meal on a chilly Autumn evening.
I am entering it into two challenges both hosted this month by Nazima at Franglais Kitchen. Firstly, the One Ingredient Challenge which I co-host with her on a bi-monthly basis.The ingredient this month is pumpkins/Squashes. Secondly, I am entering into Simple and in Season created by Ren at Fabulicious Food.
Thai style Squash Noodle & Spinach Soup.
Ingredients :- Serves 2
1tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion finely sliced
1tsp ginger peeled and finely chopped
1 small squash/pumpkin/butternut squash peeled de-seeded and chopped into small chunks.
1tsp That red curry paste
Salt & Pepper
1/4 to 1/2 a tin of coconut milk
Chicken or Veggie stock about 400ml
Large handful of spinach leaves, washed and chopped roughly
2 nests of dried noodles cooked and refreshed in cold water (I used soba noodles)
Method :-
Fry the onion and ginger in the oil for a couple of minutes until it begins to soften.
Add in the squash/pumpkin and Thai curry paste. Fry for a couple of minutes before adding seasoning and the coconut milk and stock.
Bring it the boil and cook for about 15 minutes. Add a little extra stock if it begins to get too thick. I like to partially mash the soup with a potato masher but still leave some chunks in the soup for texture.
After 15 minutes add in the pre-cooked noodles and the chopped spinach and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Serve with optional garnishes of chopped coriander and chopped red chilli.
This soup sounds delicious! Impressed with your large crop of squash! Good luck with the garage sale!
Thanks Jayne, will let you know!
This sounds like the perfect light Autumnal supper. I always love Thai style soups but don’t really make them, this time I SHALL! Lots of Butternuts and Chard in the garden too, but keep forgetting to plant more spinach. Thanks, Louisa
Oh isn’t it good this time of year for veg? Hope you do put in some spinach and the Thai flavouring is something I am very keen on. Am loving all your recipes at the moment too!
Really like the sound of this recipe – will make use of what I have in the garden too. Chard and perpetual spinach are great aren’t they, so easy to grow and plentiful when everything else is starting to dwindle. And the cold weather is making me crave asian inspired warming bowls of flavour like this. Andrea
Hi Andrea! Thanks for your comments, and yes I am so happy about the ease with which chard & spinach grow. Saves me a fortune!
I like the Thai inspired soup! It’ nice to add your fresh allotment vegetables to the soup. It gives a fresh touch! At the moment I’ve got spinach and brussel sprouts on the allotment and I add them to everything…even pizza! I’m looking forward to read the post about the Halloween themed garage cake sale. I’m sure that your kids are very exicited!
Thanks Rita, it’s always good to hear about what everyone else is growing on their allotments. I wish I had done sprouts as I love them and so do the kids!
Your soup does look inspired, and I love the combo of flavours…and all of those lovely allotment veg too. I am loving the autumn roof veg at the moment! Karen
Oh yes Karen, me too. Such an abundance! Have been enjoying all your lovely seasonal posts too x
A wonderful soup, some of those warming Thai spices are just what I need to shake a cold I have at the moment.
Ps hope your kids were not too disheartened by the grumpy neighbour! Good training on life and dealing with diffent people I guess!
Ha ha, thanks Nazima! I will let you know how we get on. Should be an interesting and unpredictable event!
yum, have been combining sweet pumpkin with creamy coconut milk a lot recently too, often spiced up with chilli and perfumed with lemongrass. cold grey weather = SOUP! (:
Yes agree with you. Soups are the way forward!
Thai pumpkin soup is my absolute favourite soup and packing it full of spinach can only be a good thing. Rainbow chard is one of the veg that does perform for us year on year, no matter the weather (touch wood), so we’ve been eating a fair amount of it recently too. Adding noodles to the soup is a great idea for making it into a main meal – so often forget about noodles. It looks thoroughly delicious Laura.
Oh, forgot to say, good luck with the garage sale. it certainly sounds like a good idea.
Thanks Choclette, I hope it goes well although we aren’t beginning the baking until tomorrow. Very last minute!
Another lovely seasonal recipe, Laura, and another one bookmarked here. Your hallowe’en cakes were a triumph! Well done!
Thanks Charlotte, I have been enjoying this pumpkin season!
That is the second time I’m seeing squash in a noodle soup… I really need to try it out, sounds amazing! 🙂