Covid Journal, Day 18: Soup and the Everyday Life of Stay-at-Home

43 this morning, cold drizzly rain. Sunshine is promised for late in the day.

The crabapple is coming into bloom despite the chill, and the redbud is also showing a little pink.

We didn't do any planting yesterday. I think I overdid it the day before, cleaning up the workroom and just didn't feel up to it. Probably just as well as the soil temperature must still be quite low, given the cold weather yesterday that may continue the rest of the week.

Yesterday was our online poetry workshop, which went well after an hour of trying to get everyone online. We were using Google Hangouts; next meeting we'll try Skype. It is a good way to continue working together, and I like it very much. Usually I have to drive an hour to get to the meetings, so I miss most of them. This way I don't have to leave my house, and still get good input, and get to see everyone and read their work. We email our pieces ahead of time so we can all print them out or have them stored online, and read them in advance of the meeting.

I filled out our Census form yesterday. It was very easy, and surprisingly fast considering how many people must be accessing the site. While I was having my online meeting and getting the Census done, Larry worked on his brick steps. They're coming along nicely. I guess we'll have to wait for the big "reveal"--actually, he's keeping his material dry so he can get right back to it as soon as the rain stops.

The fruit trees I ordered in February arrived yesterday evening. I'm hopeful we can get them in the ground today. The weather won't prevent that kind of planting!

Yesterday's cooking was butternut squash soup. It was delicious. I forgot to take photos though.

Here's how I made it:

2 medium butternut  squash. I used only the thick necks, because we have so many squash still to use--or feed to the chickens. I cut them in half, put the halves in a large ziplock bag with a small opening left, and microwaved them for 12 minutes until they were soft. You could also just peel and cube the squash, but my way is so easy to get the meat out of this very hard squash.

2 smallish yellow onions. These were also from last years garden, not many left now but new onions are already growing in the cold frame.

2-3 stalks of celery.

Chop the onions and celery and saute in a little olive oil until soft. Add the squash and 2-4 cups of chicken broth. Add enough water to cover the vegetables.

Season to your taste with the following: finely chopped rosemary, thyme, parsley and sage. Add salt and black pepper to taste.

Cook until the vegetables are soft and flavors well blended. Remove from hear and use a potato masher to mash the vegetables, or use a blender to blend into a smooth soup. I prefer mashing because we like the little chunks of veggies.

At this point you could add milk or cream to make a creamy soup. We prefer it just as is, without adding any dairy products.

Today I'll be packing ebay, and painting furniture. I am getting a stockpile of finished pieces ready for when the antique malls re-open.


Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.