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"Possibility and promise greet me each day as I walk out into my garden. My vigor is renewed when I breathe in the earthiness and feel the dirt between my fingers. My garden is a peaceful spot to refresh my soul." Meems






Welcome to my Central Florida Garden Blog where we garden combining Florida natives, Florida-Friendly plants, and tropicals.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Fresh Soup From the Garden


When I published an update of the radish harvest a couple of weeks ago, Nicole from Caribbean Garden left a comment reminding me not to forget to make soup from the top greens of the radishes. I had never heard of making soup from them so she referred me to a website with an excellent recipe. The idea of using the entire plant is extremely appealing to this gardener!

The next day I pulled out what was left of the first go round of radishes and whipped up some soup for dinner. It was perfect timing since we had a cool front move through that week. What is better than soup when it's chilly outside?

I've included the recipe here. Not only did the soup have a wonderfully mild flavor it was quick and easy, too.

Thanks, Nicole... you are always great with all kinds of helpful information.

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, diced
2 medium potatoes, sliced
4 cups raw radish greens
4 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup heavy cream
5 radishes, sliced


DIRECTIONS
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Stir in the onion, and saute until tender.
Mix in the potatoes and radish greens, coating them with the butter.
Pour in chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.

Allow the soup mixture to cool slightly, and transfer to a blender. Blend until smooth.
Return the mixture to the saucepan. Mix in the heavy cream.
Cook and stir until well blended. Serve with radish slices.

35 comments:

  1. Dear Meems,

    Who knew that the tops could be used in a soup! It sounds delicious....I like radish sprouts, too...they are wonderful on salads.

    Ahh blogging, isn't it fantastic. New food, new plants and new friends.

    Have a good week, talk with you later!

    Gail

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  2. Sounds delicious. It seems quite chilly this evening - I could go for a bowl right now.

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  3. It looks interesting. Kind of like when I first saw pumpkin soup, which I actually enjoyed very much. :)

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  4. Those plants look so pretty, that I had to look closely to make sure those were the radish plants you were referring to. Thanks for the soup recipe. I'll have to use milk or fat free half and half if I remember to write it down for spring. I just picked my fall radishes last week, and the leaves are on the compost pile.

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  5. Sounds warm and cozy. I'll keep this recipe in mind, thanks for sharing it.

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  6. What a wonderful idea! Our radishes had impressive tops and very unimpressive roots. Wish I had know then that a recipe like this exists :)

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  7. Gail, I already have a new crop of radishes coming up. I need to remember the sprouts for salads. Yes, so many wonderful things to gain from blogging. Who knew? Thank you... I'm looking forward to a full day of gardening tomorrow in some cooler weather. Yay.

    Patricia, I am so happy for the chilly evening. I was sitting out on the porch earlier and had to come get a sweater. Imagine that!

    mjm, Pumpkin soup is actually one of my favorites. Have you ever had pumpkin ravioli? mmm-mmmm good.

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  8. Sue, Oh no. Just a week too late. Instead of writing it down... just copy and paste it into word... much easier.

    Darla, Warm and cozy is a good description of how soup can make an evening!... or a lunch.

    Amy, I'm with you... so happy to know how to use the tops now. I never even thought of it until Nicole gave me the tip.

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  9. I forgot to mention...I like the new look. I think I am ready for something new too!

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  10. Oh and that is a negative on pumpkin ravioli, but I'm always up to trying something new...are you offering?

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  11. I've never heard of using the tops. Very interesting and, as you say, uses the whole plant. Much more efficient. Thanks for sharing.
    Cameron

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  12. mjm: I've changed it about 10 times tonight... thanks. I wish I could offer... I don't make it. I've had it at a restaurant in Tallahassee. It is remarkably good. Doesn't necessarily sound good but it is.

    Cameron: I like efficient. Plus it tastes really good. One thing about a soup like this is that you can have a cup on the run and it is just the amount of sustenance you need to keep you going. It's nice to have on hand.

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  13. great idea Meems! I'm planning a veggie garden for next spring, and this recipe will come in handy. It looks delicious!

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  14. This is soup weather now! Soup is better than salad in my opinion.

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  15. Meems, I just planted a new crop of radishes. How's that for luck. Now I can use the whole plant & not waste any. Of course compost is NOT a waste.
    Thanks for the info.

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  16. Linda, I'm really excited about you starting a veggie garden in spring. Soup will still work for you then since you have cool evenings.

    Robert, I like both and they really work together, too.

    Lola, Good for you. They will come up quickly. Soup tastes so much better than compost though! LOL

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  17. Learned something new today; that you could make soup from radish leaves!

    Thank you for that!

    Zoë

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  18. Meems, this recipe sounds like my potato soup recipe. I think I could put cream and butter on most anything and eat it. tee hee...

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  19. I would never think to use radish greens for soup. Tasty, huh? I have to admit, the recipe does sound good. Isn't it fun how you can learn so much from other blogs??!!

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  20. The soup sounds so good. It's in the lower 20's here and even tho it's only 8 am, I would gladly enjoy a bowl this morning. Thanks for the recipe.
    Marnie

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  21. That's funny. Someone just gave me a similar recipe! I didn't end up making it because I had just made turnip and sweet potato soup using the turnip greens, but I'll try this one this week.

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  22. That soup sounds yummy and easy, too. I've never heard of using radish leaves. Thanks for passing on the recipe.

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  23. No radishes or greens for us this time of year - but was very curious - do you think it would make a good cold summer soup? Just looked out the window - our first snowflakes....

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  24. Zoe: I think we all needed to be enlightened about the use of radish leaves... seems most of us didn't know. So glad for Nicole's international knowledge.

    Lisa: Cream and butter go a long way to perk up any dish. :-) I think the potatoes in this soup are a hearty addition. I LOVE potato soup, too.

    Susie: I do think learning is one of the main reasons I like blogging. It is a whole new world of knowledge right at our finger tips. :-)

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  25. Wow Meems that is such a good soup....something I am definately going to try......we eat a lot of soup in this house in the winter.......
    I have found a lot of lovely recipe since I started blogging....another bonus.....

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  26. Marnie, Oh my... it is once in several years we ever see 20's and here it is November and you are brrrr cold. I often eat lunch or dinner food in the morning. So I hear you ... soup in the morning works for me.

    Vertie: Sweet potato and turnip soup sounds good, too. Have you shared the recipe for that? Would love to see it.

    Susan: It does make me feel less ignorant now that I know I am not in the minority with this radish greens knowledge. It is good to learn new things isn't it?

    Barbara: Not sure if I'd like it cold. There are few cold soups I like though so I'm probably not a good judge.

    Wow. Snow. What a different climate we have. Here I was outside all morning trimming perennials and dividing up some/ potting them up for growth during our winter... to be ready for spring.

    Cheryl: I am always on the lookout for a good soup recipe, too. Typically I make up my own recipes ... just love soups... especially when its cool.

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  27. Dear Meems,

    I wanted to stop by and tell you that I am enjoying the new look of your blog...If it has been up for a few days, please know that I miss details sometimes! As always I do love staying around and looking at your lovely photos!

    Gail

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  28. yum, yum, yummy! i am going to make this for dh. he loves radishes and buys them now with the greens from farmers market. it looks so appealing with the lacey napkin and the whole radishes place in the bowl. did m like it?

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  29. ps,
    you've been playing on the blogspot with your new template. very nice.

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  30. Gail, How very sweet of you to let me know you noticed. No, I just played around with it yesterday and switched out the background. You can hang around as long as you please. Always good to have you here.

    Marmee, Actually hubby DID like it. At least he said he did. He isn't much for soups in general especially the ones without meat. I highly recommend it for using your radish tops-- except can hubby eat potatoes?

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  31. and even though it doesn't get too cold in our neck of the woods, Autumn is "soup time"! I've never heard of using radish tops and can't wait to try your recipe. Did you change the background colors of your blog? It, too, seems very Autumnal. (is that a word?)

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  32. Mary Beth, Any cool evening or day around these usually warm parts makes me think 'soup'. It makes a fine "autumnal" meal. (autumnal is a wonderful adjective, MaryBeth)

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  33. Wow what a lot of comments! Great pics and so glad you liked my recommendation. Thanks for the mention, too.

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  34. Nicole, It does seem everyone likes a good soup recipe. Thanks for the suggestion ... I really was so glad not to waste (or compost) the top leaves.

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  35. Love radishes and greens ... this sounds delicious, Meems!

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Have a blessed day,
Meems


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