Fall. I am finally up for it! I made an autumn wreath from fresh sage and fire thorn berry clusters the other day for my front door. Welcome!

After a kinda unsettling bout of digestive funk, I am finally comin’ round, I hope, and having some energy to get back into my work, harvest nearly the last from the garden, and set into the tasks of preserving the rest of the perishable vegetables. I’m soo grateful to have a little extra energy today to cook up one of my favorites – butternut squash soup.

I used to chef in a very fun restaurant “back in the day” in Ft. Collins, Colorado called Cuisine!Cuisine! We changed the theme of the menu monthly – from Caribbean to Asian Rim, French, Deep South, Tuscany, Indian, New American, etc, etc. We also created seasonally, and a customer favorite in the fall was this butternut squash soup. Back then, I made it with currants and jalapenos, which a person could certainly do with fine results. Today, cooking with as many ingredients as possible from my own back yard and garden, or local farm stand,  I use anaheim chilies roasted in the broiler, and dried plums preserved in the dehydrator, from the Italian plum tree out back.

As this 2012 garden contained my first attempts at growing both butternut squash and leeks, I am grateful and thrilled at the harvests!

A dehydrator is a very handy appliance to have!

This soup is luscious. I hope you’ll try it:

Butternut Squash Soup with Leeks, Anaheim Chilies and Dried Italian Plums

Flecked with bursts of spicy pepper and sweet plum, this recipe also makes a fine pumpkin soup.

• 2  c. sliced, washed leeks
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp. butter for saute
• 2 c. vegetable broth or water
• 2  1/2 c. baked until very tender, pureed (or mashed) butternut squash
• 1/3 c. minced roast spicy chili such as Anaheim (or as desired – jalapenos, etc.)
• 1/4 c. honey
• 1 tsp. each fresh minced sage and thyme, salt and pepper to taste, tiny pinch of nutmeg
• 1 c. plain almond or soy milk, whole milk or half and half
• 1/2 c. minced dried plums (or currants)

garnish of toasted squash or pumpkin seeds, garlic croutons and/or sour cream if desired.

Saute leeks and garlic in butter until tender, add ingredients through the herbs , whisk and simmer 20-25 minutes, stir in milk and dried plums, taste, adjust seasoning and simmer a little longer, then serve.

A perfect fall lunch after prepping the garden for the winter …