19 October 03

Soup Season Jumpstarted

I was scheduled to lead a beginners’ bird walk for Yolo Audubon this morning. I’m walking better than I was a month ago but I have to confess I was hoping nobody would show up at the meeting place at 8:00 am so I could return to my tea and mellow morning.

But no: a couple rolled up in a BMW. When it became clear they’d be the only customers, I asked them what they’d like to do. Oh, she said, I’d like you to tell me what all the birds are I see and hear in my yard. I’ll make you a cup of tea.

Well, this is what we did, and saw a number of birds and Karen’s spectacular garden. She learned a lot of birds, and I got a huge bag full of apples, peppers, tomatoes, basil, and sage. Such a deal! I made pesto and we had the tomatoes for lunch. I have since made a large pot of soup, which is what we live on in winter—it has cooled down enough for long simmering.

Since this was the first soup, there was no stock for it, giving it a “shallow” taste. But all the veggies—cuttings, leavings, ends—have ended up in the freezer for next week’s stock.

Posted by at 05:59 PM in Miscellaneous | Link |
  1. Isn’t it interesting how life has a way of slipping us a five-spot every once in a while… soup from a birding foray!

    And I loved the “name blunders”, Numenius. Herbaria are interesting if for no other reason. I had students keep a plant collection when I was teaching. Wish I’d recorded the ‘locations’ where those came from…”behind Aunt Guthrie’s privvy” was one I remember.

    fredf    20. October 2003, 03:59    Link
  2. Your bird walk has such a nice Californian hue to it: the BMW, the woman with the spectacular garden, the cup of tea and the barter of vegetables….

    maria    20. October 2003, 07:42    Link
  3. Well happy bird watching and soup making! It’s a great time of year here for birdwatching – the redwing and fieldfare have arrived and the kingfisher really stands out on the canal now the leaves are falling. Yeah, time to get the big pot down.

    Coup de Vent    27. October 2003, 09:15    Link

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