Organic market garden soup and roasted cauliflower salad

Hello friends in the Hive realm!

I am sharing today my recipes made from fresh local organic farm produce. There's a small market coming once a week which happens to be on my day off.

The items are a quality that I can get excited about. Plus some of the items can't really be found at the local grocery stores.

I really spent an arm and a leg on these things but I know that once winter hits, I won't be getting this good stuff anymore.

I had to buy these giant radishes which had their leafy green tops. I had intentions of using the greens for soup. I've never in my life used radish greens, nor have I seen radishes with this much greenery.

These beets also had nice fresh greens that I intended to put in the soup. So far I still have the beetroot in the fridge for another day. I don't remember ever using beet greens before. Usually I buy beets without the greens on top.

It's a shame that they don't just leave them on, however since most of the year they are imported, it's most likely to be more easy to store and transport without the greens.

This kohlrabi really caught my eye with it's vibrant colour. I've never seen a kohlrabi that was not light green.

I have only had kohlrabi a few times in my life and it was always good. I wondered if the purple one would be different.

Market vegetable soup

Beet greens 130 g
Radish greens 140 g
Kohlrabi 230 g
String beans 300 g
White beans 400 g (dried soaked then cooked)
Cabbage 130 g
Collard greens 300 g
Carrot 200g
Celery 60 g
Onion 150 g
Potato 500 g
Tomato 300 g
Garlic 40 g
Paprika 1 tsp
Black pepper 1 tsp
Smoked paprika 1 tsp
Garlic powder 1 tsp
Onion powder 1 tsp
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
Bay leaf 2 or 3
Vegetable broth powder 3 tablespoons
Vegetable broth 1 1/2 litres or more
Salt to your liking

I wasn't sure if I should peel it or not so I did. The skin was rather tough but I was kind of sad to lose the colour.

Have you ever seen a pointed cabbage. I loved the way it looked so I was not going to pass it by.

It was so cool looking and easy to slice. It seemed rather tender and fresh.

I saw a colourful bunch of string beans. They were so pretty, that I had to try them. I had no idea what they would be like.

I wasn't sure at first if they would be tender enough to eat the shell like a regular string bean. After biting into one, I found them to be tender and crispy and perfect.

I chopped them into a dice to put in the soup.

All of the vegetables were meant to accompany some white beans that I had soaked the night before. I didn't expect to put so many veggies into the soup. Now it was almost like the beans would accompany the veggies.

The beans were cooked for around an hour until they were perfectly tender.

I included a supporting cast of non market items that I had purchased from the grocery store on a previous day.

Cutting to the chase...

I sauteed the onions, then garlic then carrots and celery. I added the beans tomatoes and potatoes. They were cooked in their own juices on medium low for around ten minutes covered.

The cooked beans were added then a litre of broth. I wasn't sure how much broth I would add but I had 2 litres on stand by.

I waited until the end to add the greens. I was worried they would not all fit into the pot but they wilted down.

I added another half litre or so of broth after I had a look at the pot.

This made enough to put in the freezer to have for another 3 days.

On to the roasted cauliflower salad

I had never tried a purple cauliflower before. I have seen them along with yellow ones but never tried one. I wondered if it would taste different. It was so beautiful to look at.

I had a non market white cauliflower that I added to the roasting pan.

Someone had mentioned that radishes are good roasted. I didn't get too excited about that idea, as most radishes available in stores are tiny. When I saw these big juicy radishes, I thought I would give it a go.

These purple fresh looking onions were something I don't ever see in stores so I couldn't pass them by. I decided to use some for the roasted cauliflower salad.

The cauliflower, radishes and onions were tossed in oil, salt and pepper then spread on a baking pan. I was sure what temperature to use so I went with the standard 350F.

I watch them to make sure they didn't burn. I turned them around after a while, when they started to get golden. I didn't time it and every oven is different so you just have to keep your eye on them.

I took them out when they were tender and a little golden all over. I let them cool in the fridge so I could add some other items that were uncooked.

I didn't know what this boomerang shaped veggie was so of course I had to get it.
I have never seen anything like it before in my life.

I guess some folks would think I have been a sheltered city dweller reliant on low grade generic grocery store items imported from other places.

Can you guess before I tell you?

Okay don't...don't... even....say it!

If you guessed cucumber, you guessed correctly.

It was the tastiest, crunchiest, crispiest, cucumber ever. I am disappointed that I won't have these for much longer.

After adding the cucumber I added the dressing and an extra squeeze of lemon.

Roasted cauliflower salad

2 medium heads cauliflower
2 cups cucumber
1 cup sliced onion
6 cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup dressing

Maple dijon dressing
1/2 cup olive oil
1/8 cup red wine vinegar or apple cider
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 clove minced garlic
Squeeze of half a lemon
Salt to taste

It was garnished with cherry tomatoes and ground toasted walnuts.

I had some nice artesan lettuce that I placed the cauliflower salad on top.

This was very filling and gave me quite a bit of energy despite the daily sleep interruptions. I have noisy neighbours in the next building that wake up shortly after I go to bed.

Did the purple cauliflower taste different from the white?

I didn't think so but a trained taster may disagree. It was visually good to look at though.

How did the roasted radishes taste?

I really loved them and think it was a nice addition to the salad. They seemed milder and juicier compared to smaller ones.

How did I like the green tops of the radishes and the beets in the soup?

I don't know why I haven't done it sooner.

I happened to have some veggie scraps leftover so I saved everything and added it to a soup broth that I have since made. You don't have to throw away your veggie scraps.

Thanks for dropping by and have a great day.

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Photos taken with a Nikon D7500 and are of my ownership