CSA

This is a hearty soup that my whole family enjoys. It's a great way to use up the Swiss chard we receive in our CSA order and tastes even better as leftovers. It can easily be doubled, but be sure to use a large pot -- I always find this makes more than I expect!

Lentils or split peas can easily be substituted for the mung beans, and the Swiss chard can be exchanged for spinach or other fresh greens. Vegetarians can omit the chicken without sacrificing flavour.

It makes approximately 6 main dish servings. Add a slice or two of garlic bread and you've a fairly substantial meal-in-a-bowl!

We got our first CSA basket this week, and as always early in the season it was a fairly small one.

• 398g beet greens
• 456g garlic scapes
• 400g bok choy
• 202g radish

So I figured I'd try an experiment with the garlic scapes, and can them up! Last year what I did with them was puree them in a food processor with a fair bit of oil, and then store the moosh in a jar in the fridge to use sort of as a flavoured oil for frying in a fry pan, or in place of garlic or onions in just about any recipes. This year I decided to can it up so that it would last longer on the shelf, and take up less room in the fridge.