Blackberries and Pumpkin

frozen and canned

Our town park, Meadow Breeze, is home to sports fields for youth leagues, a covered pavilion for gatherings, walking paths, playground equipment, and one of those cute little free library boxes for donating or helping yourself to a book. When my husband and I walk there in the early evening we frequently run into the same folks; the owner of a lunch restaurant in town, a group of retirees that meet to walk their dogs together, Marilyn from Pilates, or some guy my husband greets simply as “Coach”. It’s nice to see familiar faces, even if we don’t know them all by name or stop to chat. The park is also a place where I go to paint. 

This piece was done on a blisteringly hot day in July when I seemed to have the entire park to myself.  The scene pictured is actually across the road from the park. Just to the right is Casey’s Equestrian Center where I could hear the instructor calling out a steady stream of instructions to her pint-sized students during their riding lessons. Directly behind the fence is Von Thun Farm, a destination that fits the Oxford dictionary definition of “agritainment” or “...farm-based entertainment” with its hay rides, pumpkin picking, and corn maze. They also have a sunflower field for Instagram- ready photos and bushes for berry picking in the summer. I was surprised when my husband brought home a pint of blackberries in late September as the wild blackberries are ripe in July. He thought I would use them for berry muesli, but they were calling out to be eaten before they even went in the fridge.

Fresh is generally best when it comes to fruits and vegetables, but there are exceptions. Frozen berries are recommended in making berry muesli, a breakfast staple in parts of Europe, and this makes preparation throughout the year simpler. I combine one cup of muesli, two cups of kefir, and two cups of frozen berries in a glass container, stir it up, and leave it in the refrigerator overnight. The tanginess of the kefir and the sweetness of the berries complement each other nicely. This will keep for three to four days in the refrigerator.

The baking aisle of the grocery store, not a farm stand, is where I buy my pumpkin, in a can obviously, for baking or using as a base for a vegetable soup. I’m sure that using a large knife to quarter the pumpkin, cleaning out the seeds, baking it, and pureeing it in a blender provides a sense of satisfaction for some, but it seems like too much work to me. Please leave me a comment if you disagree and feel that I am cutting a corner and giving up flavor. I am, however, willing to carve a pumpkin when making a jack-o-lantern.

This Pumpkin Vegetable Soup with lentils is hearty and perfect for a chilly autumn day. The pumpkin puree adds body and a touch of sweetness. I used dried thyme and fresh rosemary since that was what I had on hand. Use both fresh if they are available.

Pumpkin Vegetable Soup

3 T. vegetable oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 cup diced carrots

1 1/2 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

2 t. salt

1 t. pepper

3 t. minced garlic

1 cup red lentils

6 cups vegetable stock (or water)

2 cups pumpkin puree

1 t. dried thyme

1 T. chopped fresh rosemary

Directions

Heat oil in a soup pot. Sautee onions, carrots, celery, and red pepper on medium-low for 10 minutes or until they are soft. Add garlic and lentils and cook for an additional 2 minutes.  Add salt, pepper, stock, pumpkin, and herbs. Let simmer for about 25 minutes. Taste. Add salt, pepper, or additional herbs as needed.  Make sure that the lentils are soft.

Despite scoffing at all the effort involved in baking and pureeing a fresh pumpkin, I decided to make homemade vegetable stock for this soup. Better authorities than myself can certainly be found on the topic, but in brief, I simmered a halved onion, 4 carrots, 3 celery stalks, a broccoli stem, a bay leaf, salt, and pepper for one-half hour. 

Thanks for reading! I appreciate all the emails and comments after my last newsletter.

Vicki