the last sugar pumpkin soup

It was the last sugar pumpkin from Abenaki Springs farm. I felt such sorrow seeing this last beautiful sugar pumpkin - it was the closing of last year's bounty from the farm, and the months of joy of buying from them at the Keene, NH farmer's market. I hesitated before cutting into it - would it be moldy? Would it have shriveled into a dry shadow of its former self? Not a bit. It was juicy and colorful as it was when I bought it last October. That's what you get when you buy organic, local, and fresh.

So I felt I had to celebrate this incredible vegetable. I Googled, I surfed the Net, but there was nothing. So I came up with a soup that celebrated the autumn earthiness of this vegetable, and I hope in a way you can also taste the flavor and fullness of this beautiful pumpkin. It involves all the flavors of Fall - sweet potatoes, pumpkin, mushrooms, chives, and the last of the dill and thyme.

In a pot saute:

2 T. olive oil

2 T. unsalted butter

1 stalk celery, sliced

1 sugar pumpkin, peeled and sliced in chunks ( about 4 cups)

1 onion, roughly chopped

1 small to medium sweet potato - peeled and chopped

4 or 5 mushrooms

1 T. whole dried thyme

chicken stock

2 T. chives, fresh or frozen from the garden

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 T. fresh or frozen dill or parsley

( optional: medium salsa and roasted pumpkin seeds)

Saute the celery, sugar pumpkin chunks, onion, mushrooms, and sweet potato in the olive oil and butter until tender.

When tender, add the chicken stock just to cover, and the thyme, chives and/or dill. Cook for another ten minutes, then puree in a blender or by using a infusion blender stick. Taste and serve with a tablespoon of medium salsa and a few pumpkin seeds floating on the top of the soup.