Carrot and lentil soup

Another concoction using fridge leftovers – scrummy!

You’ll need:

Knob of butter
1/2 large onion
1 washed, chopped leeks
4 peeled, chopped carrots (medium size)
4 dessert spoons of dried red lentils (about 75g)
Vegetable stock cube
Salt and pepper to season

I use a soup maker, but a large pan does just the same job – you’ll just have to transfer to a blender after it’s cooked and cooled down a bit.

What to do:

Put the knob of butter in the soup maker on ‘Low’, add the onion and leek, stir and leave to sweat for a minute.

Add the carrots and lentils, and add enough stock to make 1400 ml.

Simmer for half an hour, then blend until smooth

Season with a little salt and pepper just before serving.

Optional extras

Give a bit of a chilli kick by adding half a chopped red chilli pepper at the same time as the onion and leek

Stir in a little cream or creme fraiche just before serving

Bon appetit!

Carrot and lentil soup

75% off

You could not make this up. Only a couple of days ago I wrote about our local hardware store having a half price sale on their seeds. Obviously it was an offer not to be refused, so in I trotted and filled my boots basket.

Well… I went into town at the weekend, and they are now at 75% off. Yes, 75% off! The force of the seed sale practically sucked me in off the street, and there I was again, buying a load of stuff that I a) probably already have and b) possibly do not need. But no matter… I’ve saved a massive £21 sqidaroonies!

They will be giving them away next week…

In brief, I have peppers (salad and chilli), spring onions, peas, beans, cucumbers, carrots (2 sorts), basil, radish (to go with the four packets I already have), rocket and some random flowers.

I swear by next week they will be giving them out free at the door…

3 cunning plans to elude the carrot fly

I’ve never really had much luck with carrots. The first year I planted them in the roots bed, but they were annihilated by carrot flies. I’d even covered them up with an old bit of voile I had floating around (Cunning plan #1), but to no avail. The odd few that avoided the assault came out odd shapes 😦

The showgirl carrot - Ooh la la!

The showgirl carrot's best kept secret!

I then  read somewhere that carrot flies can’t fly above a foot off the ground, so Cunning plan #2 came into play. I planted them in an old water butt that was a good metre high. I must have had SAS carrot flies in my garden, because once again, they were gnashed to pieces.

So, for two years I’ve either grown carrots that Esther Rantzen could have had good air time with, or ones that were so full of holes, they’d make excellent  flutes for bunnies, but rubbish snowmen’s noses…

It was now time to bring in the big boys. It was time to execute Cunning plan #3. This week I took delivery of three varieties of seeds that are resistant to the little blighters. If all goes to plan, I’ll be eating carrots for breakfast, lunch and dinner. With cake for afters. After all, I have 3500 seeds to get through!

If you liked this, please share 🙂

Showgirl carrot’s neighbour

The showgirl carrot's best kept secret!

It’s no wonder that the showgirl carrot looked so perky – I’ve just dug up her neighbour!

The showgirl carrot

Well, the onions are now well and truly out, and hanging up nicely in the shed:

All that’s left in the bed are some parsnips (nowhere near ready), rasberries (eaten), blackcurrants (eaten by birds) and some beetroot. I have to admit the beetroot was a bit of an impulse buy in last year’s Wilko’s end of season sale, as I can’t recall ever haven eaten one in my life… will have to do some swotting to see what you actually do with them.

A showgirl carrot - la la!

Whilst clearing out the rest of the onion patch ready for whatever goes in there next year, I found a load more small onions (= one jar of pickled onions), and quelle surprise… a showgirl carrot!