My Birthday and a bowl of happiness!

This morning, after opening presents in bed, lovely dresses and a top and a jacket from my French family, I turned on the radio. The CBC morning show host was interviewing a guy from Gimli who has extended his carrot harvest into the long, cold Manitoba winter! All he does is cover his carrots with thick foam before the ground freezes and it actually insulates them enough that they don't freeze! He can only harvest about 2 or 3 times in the winter because every time he opens the sealed up foam the ground gets a little colder until eventually it does freeze. This story is so unbelievable to Manitobans, who woke up to -31 (not including the wind chill!) this morning. This kind of out of the box thinking could actually be used farther north where the produce is prohibitively expensive due to shipping costs and the growing season is extremely short.

Coincidentally, I decided yesterday to make a Carrot Orange and Ginger soup. It was delicious and looks so happy and full of vitamins in this very long and very cold winter! I needed a pick me up, and this soup fit the bill perfectly. 

Tomorrow the high is -8, so we are getting a bit of relief from the cold spell. Spring is around the corner and I know I'm not the only one with spring fever at this time of year. Just the thought of fresh asparagus and tiny carrots pulled from the earth are enough to make me swoon. But for now, I am just going to content myself with a brightly coloured bowl of vitamins!

Carrot Orange Ginger Soup or Happiness in a Bowl

2 pounds or just under 1 kg of Organic Carrots

1 small to medium sized onion, or half a large one, roughly diced

1 piece of fresh ginger about the size of a big fat thumb, peeled and grated

1 orange, zested and juiced

salt and pepper

a bit of olive oil

Peel your carrots if they are old and need it, if they are fresh just give them a scrub. Cut the ends off and chop them into large chunks. Don't worry about what they look like, they are going to get pureed in the end.

Saute the onions over medium heat in enough olive oil to coat your soup pot. When the onions are softened, add the carrots, grated ginger and orange zest and juice. Pour in enough water to just cover the carrots. Add a good pinch of salt and some freshly grated pepper. Bring the soup to the boil, then lower heat slightly but continue a very slow boil for about 30 minutes or until you can easily pierce a carrot with a fork. They should be very soft.

Have a large bowl and a ladle ready, then transfer the soup into the blender in batches and puree until smooth. Put the soup back in the pot and taste. If the soup is to thick, add a bit of water. Adjust salt and pepper. Serve with a sprig of parsley and a drizzle of good olive oil and some crusty toasted bread rubbed with garlic and olive oil and sprinkled with coarse sea salt. Eat and be happy!