From the Kitchen: Curry Carrot Soup

I love growing carrots. They are such a common and simple root vegetable, but the smell when they're freshly pulled from the earth is amazing. The carrot rust fly makes it a bit challenging. It lays it’s eggs at the base of the greenery and the larva burrow tunnels as it feeds on the tip of the root. An effective and simple solution is to cover the carrot bed with a floating row cover. It denies access to the adult fly. It has the added benefit of helping keep the bed moist. Carrots take about three weeks to germinate and cannot dry out during that time. I use metal hoops to keep the row cover above the foliage. My method of securing the cloth is to hold the edges down with bricks. Clips are available for a less rustic look. Both sunlight and water penetrate the fabric so it’s not necessary to remove the cloth for watering. The only drawback for me is that I sometimes forget to check on carrots needing to be thinned. When the "to do" list is long it’s easy to overlook the hidden veggies.Today I checked the Washington State University extension site and was surprised to find out that theses flies also attack parsley. I’d been wondering for a couple of years what was damaging my curly parsley. The Italian flat leaf seems unbothered but the curly would start to yellow and then pull from the ground with very little of it’s root system left. Another problem solved! Recipe...

Hedgebrook Curry Carrot Soup

By Julie Rosten, Guest ChefYield: Makes 6 to 8 servings7 medium carrots, peeled & sliced to 1/2” rounds4 T unsalted butter2 t sugar3 sprigs fresh or 2 t dried thyme½ C basmati rice, rinsed2 T curry powder5 C vegetable brothsalt/pepper to taste½ C creamMelt butter in a 4 quart sauce pan over medium heat. Add carrots, sugar, thyme, rice and curry powder. Cook until carrots are soft, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add broth, salt and pepper. Stir well, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Working in batches, puree soup in blender or food processor until smooth. Add the cream. Serve.