A Super Soup for Summer

Timely summer rains have kept the soil adequately moist and allowed the garden to continue thriving in the tropical, humid, hot days.  We don't have an irrigation system in the garden, so if the Good Lord doesn't provide rainfall, the only other way the plants get watered is if I spend 30 minutes with my thumb on the end of a garden hose, spraying each plant.  I dislike that almost as much as I do weed-eating, so I welcome the afternoon thundershowers with open arms.  These showers mean the cucumber plants are filled with nice, happy, bright yellow blooms that contain the promise of crisp cucumbers.

Yellow Blooms

The plants send climbing vines up the cattle panels I've placed for them to climb on. You can see the tendrils that have reached out and latched onto the panel for support. The Good Lord made the tendrils provide elasticity that gives with winds and rains. Doesn't it look exactly like a spring?  I read that the coiled spring was invented in 1763 and although the article didn't specify, I bet the inventor was picking cucumbers when he had the revelation to invent the coiled spring!  :)

Cucumber 'springs'

Here is a baby cucumber that is only a half an inch long, but will grow quickly.

We eat most of them raw and also pickle a good deal of them, but Tricia discovered a new way to eat them as well:  Cold Cucumber Soup.  I'll be honest with you. Summers are hot and soup never seems like a refreshing thing to eat when I'm sweating.  Furthermore, cold soups have never seemed too appetizing to me.  

So when Tricia came outside with a spoonful of something for me to try, I was a little hesitant.  I think that's also because she told me, "taste this and I'll tell you what it is after you've swallowed it."  It was cool, refreshing, tangy, and delicious.  "What is this," I asked her?Cold cucumber soup, she told me.

Here's how she made it.  It comes from a recipe from Sally Fallon's, Nourishing Traditions Cookbook and this is what you will need:

• 3 medium cucumbers
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup creme fraiche (sour cream)
• 1/2 cup cream
• 2 garlic cloves mashed up
• 1 teaspoon chopped mint
• sea salt and pepper

Ingredients for cucumber soup

Slice up the freshly harvested cucumbers.

Add the ingredients to the food processor and pulse until all items have been pureed into a smooth consistency.

In the food processor and ready to blend until smooth

Then ladle into a  bowl and garnish with a sprig or two of fresh, fragrant mint.

Chilled Cucumber Soup

A delicious, invigorating bowl of cold soup will cool you off on a hot day!