I have begun to investigate slow cooking. With the arrival of Daisy’s calf fast approaching, and Sheila the Babe (hopefully this week), then the milking and the cheese making, I will have at least another two hours work a day and that does not include the clean up. The barn I can clean with a hose. Don’t you wish you could do the same with the kitchen! So I need to find ways to save time. The crock pot has never appealed to me. I honestly prefer my food freshly picked and prepared. But until I get my head around this new regime I am going to have to resort to making dinner in the early afternoon then leaving it to cook alone. My other problem is my old rickety gas stove that has not quite worn itself out yet, needs supervision. It cannot be left on in the house when I am out of the house. So I am reconsidering the less than sexy crock pot.
Yesterday was a case in point, we were racing to get the fencing finished and Daisy’s milking parlour ready. There was no time to muck about in the kitchen. The Kitchens Garden had garlic almost ready to harvest and the broccoli was going to shoot in the terribly hot winds we had yesterday. The lettuce has gone past it. So no quick salad. 
So the dinner ingredients were already decided. That is the best garlic we have grown. 
The challenge: what can you make in a crockpot with these ingredients and leave to cook inside while you are outside for hours. Broccoli and Garlic Soup. Adapted from Not Your Mothers Slow Cooker Cookbook. 
Chop up the peeled broccoli stalks as well as the florets. In the slow cooker add oil, thyme, lemon juice, chicken stock and salt and pepper. Muddle in a whole bulb of chopped and crushed garlic. I cooked it on low for about three hours, then pureed most of it.
It is not a pretty soup but it was good. And fast to serve with minimal clean up.
And now a wee surprise. Daisy and I. Daisy is walking like a cowboy now and not going very far, and so when we were not fencing (again the heat was in the high nineties but this time with gale force winds) I was hanging out with her under the trees. John took the camera from its fencepost and managed to nick an unflattering shot of me in his nieces T-shirt, which I redesigned with a pair of kitchen scissors, and my work skirt, my hair blown straight up, looking like I have been dragged through a bush backwards.
This is probably the first time I have included a full picture of me in the blog. But I have been thinking of perspective lately. How to show size in the shots. A box of matches and Daisy would be silly. And this image does give you an idea of how large Daisy really is. I am 5’7″. Now look at the size of her head again. She just needs to swing that head to dislodge a fly and she has inadvertantly knocked me for a six. She is a gentle giant lately though. Such a big animal to have in my care. Stepping so carefully, poor fat cow in the heat.
Good morning. Queenie Wineti, The Bobby (this years steer) and Hairy MacLairy are all out in the newly fenced Dairy Mistress paddock. They are more than happy with their new field. I can check them from my kitchen window which makes life very easy. And gives me something to look at when I do the dishes. (Where is that hose!)
I think we have an ordinary day ahead of us. The usual chores and rounds. So it will be a good solid and peaceful day. There are no surprises in the plan. Touch wood. You have a lovely day too.
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
100 responses to “A rare sighting of miss c and Broccoli with Garlic Soup”
PS bolted lettuce makes good soup
Well I must investigate that soup.. today! Thank you ViV! c
What is with these husbands? Mine threatened last night to take a shot of me exercising, “for your blog.” Not a chance, buddy. I love being behind the camera, not in front of it. That said, I did enjoy the pic of you next to the mom-to-be. You both look absolutely lovely.
I’m a crock pot convert, but in the summer we use a solar oven. Same principle — long, slow, moist heat, but you put it outdoors in the sun. Loads of DIY plans for handy folks. http://solarcooking.org/plans/
Thanks for the photo of yourself — it is nice to see who we’re visiting with.
Thank you Susan, i just wandered off into a solar oven tangent with your link, i never knew there was such a thing.. but they look like something i would very much like to cook with! c
Look at how lovely and sexy you look working in the barn! Cute shoes (I wear clunky boots), a cute shirt (I wear my husband’s tee shirts or old things) and a skirt (I’m forever in jeans). You are my new role model and inspiration. …and Daisy is HUGE!
believe me when i tell you that that shirt and skirt are old old, and I do wear gumboots when mucking out but most everyone is out on the grass now.. so I can wear something cooler.. thankfully.. c
What a special photo of you and Daisy, Celi. It does lend perspective and it’s awesome to see her actual size. I always have a mental picture of you so “at one” and entirely in your element, and now I have an even better reference. This was a fun peek at life on the farmy with you included. I would definitely enjoy this soup, and once upon a time used a crock pot often. Time to dust it off…this would help on hot afternoons when I get home from work and could just move right to dinner! You’re creative, as always. Debra
I am certainly in my element, when I was teaching I used a crock pot often but for the life of me I cannot remember what I used to cook in it! I guess i was very busy in those days! c
You are a doll! I can’t bring myself to post a photo of me!
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com
IMorning Linda! Excellent to have you out of the spam box at last! c
Wind blowing your hair straight up? No, not in that lovely picture; you look marvelous.
The rest of my hair is jammed into a pony tail or I really would have looked windswept, it was blowing a gale! c
Is it me or does Daisy have extraordinarily (not sure that’s a word !) long legs ?!
Tell her I was only looking at her legs……although if I had xray vision I am pretty
sure the wee one is running out of room in there !
Cheers …
Nanster
I think you look just fine, Miss C (but then I destroy 99% of the photos of me I come across). Your broccoli soup sounds well-seasoned. I don’t own a crock pot, but if I were milking a cow and running a farm I might.
I knew we would all love a photo of you!! It’s so nice to actually see who we are talking to and telling us lovely stories of their life on the farmy! 🙂 Two hot mamas walking through the barnyard!! Like everyone else said…if you look this good dragged backwards through the bush…you must be a knockout all shined up!! 🙂 More photos of Miss C. please…oh and how about one or two of Miss C’s. hubby?? We want to see what a real, handsome, cowboy..I mean farmer…looks like!! 🙂
PS. Oh, and that soup looks delicious and served so beautifully!!
I don’t think it’s an unflattering shot at all. Most women look very good while standing next to a cow, and I think that your hubby knew just what he was doing. 🙂
Nice one John!
I still wouldn’t get the crockpot, but there we go. Actually, we have one, but we don’t really like it. It has never produced something as nice as one can make with a stove. Oh well, if it’s necessary I’m sure you’ll adapt Cecilia :D. You have gorgeous cattle and this soup sounds yummy.
Daisy is beautiful! Thank you for your devotion to this blog. Very inspiring. I an very excited to tell you that on June 30th we are moving to a 30 acres (not worked for a long time) farm. You know that I have lots of work to get it all started but thanks to you I understand that it’s all doable.
Ah, that was fun. Beautiful soup, bet it tasted amazing, Our garlic is just about ready too. And it was lovely to see you with Daisy – you have got to be the most glamorous farmer-ette in the world! Poor Daisy, bet she´ll be glad when it´s all over.