Home Garden Joys
What a joy it is to head out barefoot into the yard, coffee mug in hand, dog trailing at your heels begging you to engage with him, look around the yard lush with vegetables and herbs, and wonder what will make it to lunch or dinner. This is a true yard-to-table recipe. Granted all of us don’t grow our own veggies, but I’ve discovered that backyard gardeners are forced to get creative and make recipes using food combinations that they otherwise may not have tried. This is one such dish.
Garden Produce for this Soup
This dish has two main actors and I want to speak briefly about them.
Dill
Dill Blooms on my plant
Ever seen the brilliant blooms of a dill plant? Here’s one from my backyard. The dill plant grows to about 4 feet in height and seems to have virtually no pests. I let the plant bolt so I can enjoy the blooms and watch the bees quietly going about their business. However, dill has the most flavor when picked before flowering begins.
When I was in California earlier this year, I walked across the Golden Gate Bridge into Sausalito. If you haven’t walked the bridge, do it. It is SO much better than driving across. Many of my Bay area friends have never done this, and a couple of them that walked with me were completely in awe as was I. Along the walking path from the end of the bridge to halfway to Sausalito, dill was growing wild. I had to taste it to make sure it really was dill. They don’t call it a weed for nothing! Here, in Texas, we have to tend it carefully, and dies out as soon as the summer heat hits it.
Cucumber
Cucumbers picked from my yard
The cucumbers seem to waver between plague and plenty. This year, we got a decent yield from one plant, while the other one just grew tall and didn’t do much else. Perhaps the pollinators didn’t bother visiting it. Unfortunately, the growing season of cucumbers in this part of the world is very limited, given the short period between last day of frost and the day the sun is already at its zenith. Needless to say, every small gift from Mother Nature is a great gift.
I hope you enjoy this simple, fresh recipe as much as we do.
If you want to enjoy some fresh, vibrant, energizing, easy-to-make meals this summer, check out a few of my favorites:
- Raw Red Bell Pepper Soup
- Summery Quinoa Salad
- Colorfully Crunchy Strawberry Grape Kale Salad
- Balsamic Caprese
- Forbidden Rice Stir Fry
- Spiced Cauliflower-Sweet Potato Bake
- Easy Colored Peppers & Mushroom Stir Fry
- Zesty Carrot Garbanzo Usli
- Tangy-ly Spicy Sweet Jicama Salad
- Stir Fry Sprouts & Vegetables
Due to their high water content, cucumbers are both hydrating and low in calories. Cucumbers contain vitamin C and caffeic acid, both of which reduce swelling and soothe skin irritations by preventing water retention. Dill is high in iron, manganese and calcium. The probiotics in your yogurt is bound to keep you gut-healthy. This is Food as Medicine, folks!
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Chilled Cucumber Soup with Yogurt and Dill
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Clove Garlic - Minced
- 1.5 Cups Cucumber - Diced to Medium
- 1/2 Cup Cucumber - Diced Fine - For Garnish
- 1 Cup Dill Leaves - De-Stemmed. Save 1/4 cup for garnish
- 1/2 Cup Onion - Spring, Chopped
- 1/4 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt - Or Sea Salt
- 1/2 Cup Yogurt - Grass-Fed and Organic; Substitute for Full Fat Coconut Milk for Vegans
Instructions
- Mince garlic and set aside for about 10 minutes. Cut the ends off the cucumber and dice them into 2" pieces. No need to peel if it is organic. Chop the green portions of the spring onions.
- Add garlic, 1.5 cups of cucumber, 3/4 cup dill leaves, spring onions and salt into a high-speed blender and puree for 1-2 minutes. Add a little yogurt or coconut milk if the consistency is too thick for the blender.
- Pour soup into serving dish. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup finely chopped cucumber, 1/2 cup yogurt or coconut milk and 1/4 cup finely minced dill leaves as garnish. Chill soup for 1 hour (optional) before serving.
