Save the Date
Garden Fair
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Santa Fe County Fair Grounds
More information on speakers to follow
Welcome to the Santa Fe Master Gardening Association (SFMGA) homepage. Our focus as master gardeners is to serve the community by educating and promoting "locally responsible gardening." Here you will find lots of gardening tips for northern New Mexico, upcoming events, how to ask a master gardener a gardening question, gardening links, how to become a master gardener and more.
SFMGA 2010 Course Schedules
Spotlight on Winter:
Tips on gardening, Winter, 2010:
Santa Fe in winter: the sunny blue skies against the wonderland of snow, the vivid sunrises and sunsets. Even if you are not an avid outdoors person in winter, you can still enjoy the beauty of the season. What do gardeners do in winter? Do they go inside and read the latest books on gardening, mull over magazines or seed catalogues? Do they bring their tender annuals inside and give them love and attention? Do they start their seeds early inside to get a jump-start on the growing season of northern New Mexico? Do they feed the wild birds that come to their back yard feeders? Flickers, nuthatches, chickadees and juncos have all come by this past week, plus the ever-present fat robin red breast. Do they make soup and drink rose hip tea? Pull out the watercolors and plan their next garden on paper?
Any of these activities are what gardeners do in winter.
Here’s my latest favorite winter soup recipe adapted from Bon Appetit. I always say soup makes me happy!
Alice’s Spicy Kale, Chorizo and Squash Soup
- 3 T olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped (about 2 C)
- 2 large or 3 small garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 8 oz. chorizo sausage, casing removed(If you are using fully cooked chorizo, dice it before adding to soup.)
- 2 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1 ½ pounds winter squash, peeled, cut into ½ inch cubes (Butternut, red kuri or buttercup are all good choices to use.)
- 8 C chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 ½ pounds kale, stemmed, torn and chopped into small pieces or ribbons (about 2 small to medium bunches)
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a large, heavy pot. (I use my cast iron soup pot with lid.) Add the chopped onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook additional minute. Add the chorizo and the smoked paprika; cook until the chorizo is no longer pink. ( If using raw chorizo—if using fully cooked chorizo, just cook 1-2 minutes until the paprika is toasted.) Add the cubes of winter squash, the broth, and the kale. Stir until kale wilts down a little into the soup, and bring the soup to a boil, Turn the heat down to low and simmer, covered with lid slightly ajar, for about 30 minutes, until the squash and kale are tender. Taste and add salt and pepper according to your taste.
Serves 6.
Note: I find it much easier to handle pre-baked or steamed squash, then to cut it into cubes. If baked, 350 degrees for 45 minutes with water in the bottom of pan, cover with foil.