Dear Neighbors,

I know you already thought I was all kinds of crazy what with my clothesline out back, at least 10 pots of herbs growing in random places, the diapers that I hang up on said clothesline, and that baby I had attached to me yesterday while I weeded and watered said herbs.

So I apologize if you nearly called the authorities yesterday when you pulled in the driveway to see me go outside, pick a leaf off of a weed in front of my home, and take a bite. You weren’t supposed to see that.

It was sorrel, by the way, and it is delicious. Please excuse me this afternoon when I go back out during nap time to pick some more. It tastes like lemons.

Sincerely,
the crazy neighbor girl

Last week we picked up some sorrel in our csa share. I had never had it before so when I read the description of “lemony” I figured it was probably bitter since most greens described as lemony are more bitter than anything. So I choppped it up to add to my spring chicken and greens soup and gave it a taste.

It really tastes like lemon. That lemony bite is the perfect addition to this springtime chicken soup flavored with fresh thyme and lots of spicy greens, both from our csa.

If you can get your hands on some sorrel I highly recommend it. I might even try growing some in the future. For now, though, I’ll stick to secretly harvesting a bit from in front of our home. Hopefully this time the neighbors won’t pull in the driveway at that inopportune moment.

Springtime Chicken & Greens Soup with Sorrel in the Slow Cooker

Ingredients

• 5 cups homemade chicken stock
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1 – 2 cups chopped, cooked chicken
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large bunch of cooking greens, ~ 4- 6 cups chopped (I used a mix of arugala, mizuna and mustards)
• 2 – 3 cups sorrel, chopped into <1″ pieces
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a 4-quart slow cooker combine chicken stock, chopped onion, chopped celery, chopped carrot, chopped chicken, thyme and butter. Cook on high for 2-3 hours.
2. Stir in hearty cooking greens and cook on high for an additional 30-45 minutes.
3. Ten minutes before serving add sorrel and salt and pepper to taste. You could also add additional thyme if you prefer more.
4. Delicious served along with a fresh green salad.

A soup such as this is a great way to add more vegetable variety to your diet.

This recipe is a contribution to Real Food Wednesday and Works for me Wednesday.