Snow fell here yesterday – a rare occurrence, just light showers of snowflakes drifting down on the freezing north wind.
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In the garden this morning we found a few little pockets of snow remaining amongst the straw we put around the broad beans to protect them. The broad bean plants look a bit sad. They were all doing so well, but they’ve been badly affected by the cold nights we’ve had. If these leaves don’t recover the plants will probably grow up again from the base… I hope.
Some cold garden images …
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Fallen passiflora leaves frozen to the table and our neighbour’s almond tree silhouetted against the clouds. It’s hard to believe that within about a month this tree should be blossoming.
A warming soup
It’s hard to believe, too, that we often eat lunch in the garden, in sunshine, in January. Today we came home as soon as we could to this warming velouté of mushroom and squash (the recipe is on this French/Greek blog). It was delicious with Aveyronnais bread from our local boulangerie.
The work that needs doing in the garden – mostly clearing ground so that we can put goat manure on it – will have to wait until the weather gets warmer. It was still minus 2 C at 11.30 a.m. today – that’s much too cold to garden!
14 comments:
You are so right - it is hard to believe you eat in the garden in January :))
I also want!
I walk down the garden to feed the birds and that is it. The warm water I put in their water bowl freezes as fast as I pour it out of the kettle!
Lucky you with no snow, although ours could all go within a week (please)and then we will be eating outside again. Yes, the almond trees all have their fat buds on!
Outdoor lunch here would have to consist of ice cream, nothing else would survive!
Warm canapes wearing ski gloves...?
It is hard to believe. I consistently forget to put on enough clothes -- it's colder than usual, that's for sure.
Soup is such a sane response to cold!
Hope your beans survive the ravages of winter. I've had terrible luck with beans the last few seasons: either planting them too soon or too late.
Thanks for the soup recipe. I've got the squash, now all I need are mushrooms and a French-English recipe!
Weeping Sore: my version of the French/Greek recipe is quite simple: Sauté a sliced onion until soft, add some sliced mushrooms in olive oil and sauté for a few minutes longer. Add a chopped clove of garlic and squash cut into 2cm (1 inch) cubes, and a cupful of water, and simmer for 20 minutes. Liquidise, add some crème fraiche or double cream and serve. (I think the original recipe was intended to be served cold, but in winter hot is better!)
I do hope your plants will revive! Your soup looks divine... beautiful color too. Best of Luck! Carol
Fingers crossed for your beans. Ours perked up within a week of the last snow so yours should be okay. Not sure ours will make it this time though.
For once it sounds like it's colder with you than with us. Not that it's warm here mind, but at least no frost and our broad beans are looking ok. The wind and the rain is keeping us indoors as well though spooning piping hot soup!
It's a shame about the broadbeans. That soup looks great though!
Snow! What a shock. We never see it down these parts.....just rain, rain, rain for the last month. So, like you, there is much cleaning up to do in the garden, but too muddy to get out there.
Love the soup recipe. Thanks.
Just thrilled to have stumbled across your website as a new blogger. I have gardening friends in Provence so am especially interested in what you have to say. I shall follow your blog with enthusiasm and shall certainly try to replicate your recipe suggestions.
Gosh - it seems like the cold weather is very widespread - hope it warms up soon and your beans recover. The soup looks absolutely delicious, and ideal for some of the squashes we've got stored.
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