For the vegetable herb base
Juice the celery stalks and then purée the celery juice together with the avocados and red sorrel. If there isn’t enough celery juice, you can add some water.
The original recipe calls for Hass avocados as these have an especially rich flavor. However, you can also use other types. If desired, season with salt.
For the seasoning and garnish
Add the spices and purée. Arrange several spring flowers on top of the soup before serving.
The author suggests using violets, daisies, cuckooflower, and cowslip primroses. Some of these should be available near you, perhaps in your own garden; however, the last two are native to Europe and Asia. If you can only find one or two, that will work just fine. Along with the spices, you can season to taste with sea salt.
Detailed Nutritional Information per Person for this Recipe
The majority of the nutritional information comes from the USDA (US Department of Agriculture). This means that the information for natural products is often incomplete or only given within broader categories, whereas in most cases products made from these have more complete information displayed.
If we take flaxseed, for example, the important essential amino acid ALA (omega-3) is only included in an overarching category whereas for flaxseed oil ALA is listed specifically. In time, we will be able to change this, but it will require a lot of work. An “i” appears behind ingredients that have been adjusted and an explanation appears when you hover over this symbol.
For Erb Muesli, the original calculations resulted in 48 % of the daily requirement of ALA — but with the correction, we see that the muesli actually covers >100 % of the necessary recommendation for the omega-3 fatty acid ALA. Our goal is to eventually be able to compare the nutritional value of our recipes with those that are used in conventional western lifestyles.
The sorrel gives this artisan soup a fresh, slightly tart flavor. And the colorful edible flowers make this dish an eye-catcher.
“Attention, protected species! The German Federal Nature Conservation Act (Bundesnaturschutzgesetz) has placed cowslip primroses (Primula veris) under special protection. If you use endangered species, then pick them only from your own garden.”
Red sorrel: Red sorrel can be found growing on meadows and the edges of fields. You can harvest them year-round, and they have a slightly sour taste. Red sorrel contains high levels of vitamin C but also oxalic acid. If you have a sensitivity, consuming too much red sorrel can irritate the mucous membranes in the intestinal tract. However, it is safe to eat in the amounts called for in this recipe.
Tips
Haas avocados: The word Haas (sounds like the German word for hate) in no way points to a negative reaction you might have when eating these avocados, but instead comes from Rudolf Hass, the man who accidentally discovered them. These avocados are initially green but turn darker as they ripen and can even be completely black. They are more flavorful than the somewhat larger Fuerte avocados. When you are buying Haas avocados, choose those that are not yet completely dark as they might be overripe.
Alternate preparation
Garlic clove: If you are making two servings, you can substitute half of a garlic clove for the wild garlic leaves.
