I have quite a collection of cookbooks, even after a recent purge.  I am sortof a cookbook junkie.  I try to make one new thing per week, but that is usually hard to do.  Full time working mommas don’t often have hours to burn in the kitchen.

Thank goodness for a husband who recently discovered he also likes to cook because he’s really taken the heavy the last few weeks, which have been nutty for me.

This latest recipe is from my beloved Moosewood Cookbook, which is older than I am.

This time of year is especially fun.  There are lots of things to can and pickle.  Various veggies at our house are on the brink of harvest (heirloom tomatoes and carrots), some things are being harvested now (cherry tomatoes, basil, parsley, and garlic chives), some things have sadly passed (peas and raspberries), and we have other things in our more distant future (red beans and dare I say a few tomatillos that came back from seed last year?).

We kept our planting to a minimum this year because we thought we were going to put our house on the market.  That discussion has been postponed for a time in our future – and definitely not this year. We aren’t suffering from a lack of fresh and local produce, though!  Thankfully, we have access to lots of goodies at the new Winthrop Farmer’s Market. Since I’m a volunteer, I naturally come home with a bag of whatever is in season.

garlic scapes – a seasonal delicacy

This recipe incorporates dill and cukes, two things that are available right now (though our dill is starting to seed, which means pickle time is up next!).  It is an easy, delicious meal, perfect for a summer night where it is just too darn hot to cook.  Plus, I love excuses to use my favorite new kitchen gadget that has rocked my world with many a green breakfast smoothie: my Ninja Blender.

Cold Cucumber Dill Soup
adapted from “Chilled Dill Soup” (Katzen: Moosewood Cookbook, 1977)

Ingredients
2 large onions, chopped
a handful of garlic scapes if they are in season OR 6-8 garlic cloves depending on your love for garlic
4 cups of sliced raw potato
3 cups of water
2 cups of milk
1 1/2 cups of sour cream
1 medium cucumber
2 tsp salt
4-5 tablespoons of fresh dill
2 tablespoons of fresh chives

This is so easy.

Place onions, potatoes, water, garlic scapes, chives, and salt in a pan.  Simmer until potatoes are soft.  Do NOT discard the water.

Once the above mixture is cooled, add your milk and sour cream.

Scoop mixture into your blender, add your cucumber chunks and pepper, and puree.

Serve very chilled.

Seriously, that’s it.  So easy.

A side note about garlic scapes.  They were in season a few weeks ago, but if you happen to still see any at a farmer’s market – grab them!  They last a very long time in your fridge. If you are at a loss of what to do with them, just sub them for garlic in a basil pesto recipe to make garlic scape pesto.