Squash Soup with Saffron and Ginger and Hugs for Barbara
December 7, 2008 by Andrea
Filed under Soups & Stews
I first found Barbara of Winos and Foodies through her Taste of Yellow event, a celebration of surviving cancer. Barbara really tugged at our hearts with her determination to beat cancer and for taking positive steps to raise cancer awareness, and many of us have participated in Taste of Yellow for the past two years.
Barbara is fighting again with a massive round of chemotherapy, and she’s got a long road ahead. Bron of Bron Marshall and Ilva of Lucullian Delights organized some virtual hugs for Barbara as a way for us to let her know we support her, even if we can’t be there in person. For my hug, I wanted to send Barbara some comfort food: a squash soup with saffron to lift her spirits and fresh ginger for her appetite. This vegan soup calls for light coconut milk though you can use soy milk if you prefer, and yes, the cilantro is optional.
Bron and Ilva are keeping track of all the hugs for Barbara, so please visit them for links to all the posts. And make sure you read Barbara’s touching post with her thanks.
More Squash Recipes
The Saffron Experiment: One Year, New Sprouts
October 11, 2008 by Andrea
Filed under Gardening, Grow Your Own
I’ve been holding my breath since mid-September, waiting for signs of life from the saffron corms I planted at this time last year. Honestly it’s been a bit of an obsession, though I have refrained from checking every hour. Just once a day has been enough, and yesterday I was finally rewarded when I found two little sprouts in one of the pots and one more in the other.
The Saffron Experiment: Dormancy
May 24, 2008 by Andrea
Filed under Gardening, Grow Your Own
As the weather heats up, the saffron crocuses have slipped into dormancy. The foliage died off, only this one plant has leaves remaining, and for the next few months I will just have to wonder if they will come back in late September bearing the precious saffron. Our indoor crocuses slipped into dormancy early, and I plan to leave them out on the porch this summer so they will hopefully get on schedule with the others. This is the hard part for me—waiting! By mid-September I will probably start obsessively checking for little green leaves!
Early this spring we had a four-legged visitor sneaking nibbles off the leaves during the night, and a few were eaten right to the ground. To protect our little jewels, we sprinkled cayenne pepper on the leaves and around the ground and then put little cages around the plants, and our plants were safe after that. No more middle-of-the-night snacking!
Previous Saffron Posts
The Saffron Experiment, Six Months and Counting
The Saffron Experiment, Part 2: We Have Sprouts!
The Saffron Experiment, Six Months and Counting
April 3, 2008 by Andrea
Filed under Gardening, Grow Your Own
I started my saffron experiment last fall, and as with all experiments I wasn’t sure how it would turn out. I’m happy to report that the outdoor saffron (photo above) appears to have survived the winter, though a rabbit or a whole colony seems to have discovered their tasty leaves. One plant has been chewed a bit, but the critter in question has moved on to my ornamental crocuses (photo below), apparently thinking they are more tasty.
My indoor saffron lost all the leaves during the whitefly battle this winter, but I checked yesterday and the corms (bulbs) are still intact. So I have left them in their pots by the window, thinking they might slip into dormancy early. The outdoor bulbs will go dormant once the weather turns warm.
We’re halfway through this little experiment, and sometime in late September to mid-October I hope to show some photos of the saffron crocuses in bloom and some of the harvest.
Previous Saffron Posts
Saffron in the Snow
The Saffron Experiment, Part 2: We Have Sprouts!
The Saffron Experiment
Saffron in the Snow
December 8, 2007 by Andrea
Filed under Gardening, Grow Your Own
We had our first snowfall of the season in Northern Virginia last week, a cause for celebration since we hadn’t gotten much snow during our time in Hampton Roads. The boys pressed their faces to the windows and watched the flakes gently falling, turning the ground and trees white. We felt so cold and wore our heavy winter jackets and boots when we went out, but the boys loved it.
Unfortunately the snow didn’t last as the temperatures went back up into the high 30s, but it was a slow melt. I went out to check on the saffron crocuses to see how they were holding up in the cold weather, and they look great. The slender green leaves were still peeking up through the snow.
The Saffron Experiment, Part 2: We Have Sprouts!
November 21, 2007 by Andrea
Filed under Gardening, Grow Your Own
As I mentioned last month, I’m attempting to grow saffron crocuses (Crocus sativus) so that I can have my own supply of saffron. I ordered bulbs and they arrived within a week, but I was unable to get them into the ground for another week. By then I was worried that too much time had passed and the weather was no longer warm enough for the plants to sprout, and I decided to put 10 bulbs in pots indoors and the remaining 40 bulbs outside. I planted them and crossed my fingers, and then I waited.
Last week the indoor plants started to sprout, soon followed by the outdoor plants. I’m keeping the potted bulbs in my kitchen under a grow light until they are fully sprouted and seem hardy, then I’ll try to get them in tune with their natural growing cycle by moving them outdoors for the winter. Because they are in pots, I am a bit concerned that they will not have enough natural insulation like the plants in the ground, so depending on how cold it gets at night I may have to bring them into the garage or at least cover them .
So far the experiment seems to be working, but I’m just getting started. Keep an eye out for more saffron crocus photos in the coming months!
