On this crisp fall day, we visited the beautiful  Denison Farm in Schaghticoke, NY sponsored by Agricultural Stewardship Association and Honest Weight Food Co-op.  Justine gave us a tour of the fields, green house, and answered questions, but nothing get us to smile as she describes how they use the spin function of the washing machine they had converted to a vegetable dryer. I made soup using the pressure cooker and their freshly harvested produce while we took in the smells and the evening colors. Thank you Justine and Brian for your warm hospitality!

Every time I am at the Denison Farm I feel very nostalgic for the time I had as a child at my grandparent’s small family farm and it is so easy to talk about those experiences and share stories around a hot pot of soup. My stories were about lemon grass tea and my memories of my dad’s hands, yellow from cutting freshly harvest turmeric. We passed the spices I used to make the curry around the circle and talked about them. A great night.

Denison Farm Curried Butternut Squash Lentil Soup
by Ellie Markovitch
olive oil
1 large onion
2 carrots
1 small butternut squash
2 potatoes
1/2 head of garlic
2 inches of fresh ginger
1 fresh lemongrass stalk, root end trimmed
2 teaspoons of turmeric
2 teaspoons of cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 cup of green lentils
4 cups of liquid ( we used half broth and half water)
1 cup of coconut milk

Add oil to the pot and sweat vegetables. Add lentils, spices and liquid.
Heat the pressure cooker and when you hear the sizzling sound, time 4 minutes.  Release the pressure from the pot according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Stir coconut milk and enjoy.