My First Farm Soup
So this soup was really the start of my focus here at the farm, rather the project idea came to me after how alive the entire process of making this soup made me feel. At this very early stage at the farm I hadn’t yet developed my cooking into creations solely based around what we grow here on the farm, but was also interested in food that was locally sourced, and of course organic. Waking up after a night of Salsa dancing with our local friends who work with us here on the farm, Cat and I decided to seize the day as I am learning to do every day following my yoga teachers training.
We walked the hour hike on the dirt road through the jungle into Montezuma village, energized by the October sunshine that beamed down us, to spite the trends of the rainy season. At the farmer’s market, filled to the brim with joy and endorphins we milled around, listening to a guitarist strum the blues and sipping down coconut juice, fresh cut with a machete and served with a straw. The vibe of the farmers market is inspiringly wholesome. It feels more like a gathering of friends brought together for good health and community than anything else, which I suppose is what it essentially is. An very international group of peace seekers, sharing food and stories. It is these aspects of Montezuma to me, that make it special and why I am still here 3 months later. After soaking up the buzz of the market, meeting and talking some great Montezuma locals people we sat on the beach in quiet as I soaked up the energy of the ocean and the jungle, noticing the my breath and noticing with much gratefulness the blockages in my breath that I have worked through in my time in Montezuma. Basing the soup around a beautiful and of course organic pumpkin that I bought at the farmers market and beans that grow in plenty here in Costa Rica, and using spinach and parsley from the garden on the farm I began…
Soak 1 cup chick peas for 6 hours minimum (overnight is best, but I wasn’t going to wait until morning to eat)
Measure roughly 2 times the amount of pumpkin to chick peas, no need for precision it is to your preference. Cut into chunks and boil together with the drained chickpeas until soft (test that a fork can poke through without too much pressure)
Add a handful of fresh parsley and 2 large handfuls of spinach to the pot and let soften.
Drain the continence of the pot, letting the water go, and place the soft ingredients into a blender. Blend until the smooth and pour the concentrate back into the pot on the stove with heat.
Add 1-2 cups of water, soup will be very thick until now! (Can add stock, we just didn’t have any at the farm!)
Now add: 1 whole squeezed lemon, a pinch of paprika, cayenne pepper, cimamon, nutmeg, tumeric, lots of pepper, onion and garlic powders.