Thompson Potato Farm - Blog - Thompson Potato Farm

Mashed Potato Thick Soup Recipe

1/15/2023

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I got a little bit bogged down when I tried to name my new soup recipe. I started diving into accurate names for soups and discovered some very interesting facts. This new soup is not a stew (there is too much liquid), it is not a chowder (I didn’t use a roux) nor is it a bisque (there is no cream in the soup). I settled on “thick soup” as a sort of compromise.

The one thing that is not compromised in this recipe is simplicity, ease and taste. You can make this soup using entirely leftover ingredients. Chicken broth, mashed potatoes, cooked ham, cooked broccoli and shredded cheese are the only ingredients. This is a hearty, thick soup that can be scooped up with baguette or thick crackers.

Click on the PDF document above to print or download the recipe file. You can visit “Spud Smarts – About Cooking Potatoes” to see some of my signature dishes included “Potato & Apple Soup.” Bon Appétit!

Recap of 2022

12/31/2022

As everyone knows, farming is extremely dependent on the weather. Here are 10 photos that recap the wild ride we had with Mother Nature this past year.

#IamMurray and all the tractors were itching to get into the fields in the spring, but cooler than normal temperatures slowed us down. These cool temperatures prevailed during our planting season and into early summer wreaking havoc with weed control.

Below normal rainfall in the summer created extreme drought. We battled the drought with irrigation where we could, but it lead to a lighter potato crop than we had hoped for. On the other hand, the pumpkins thrived and we had a bumper crop.

Gorgeous fall weather lead to many stunning photo opportunities as we worked at the grain harvest. The featured photos in the slideshow depict our grain truck at sunrise, the combine at sunset and a magnificent rainbow.

The four of us are still standing at the end of the season after the whirlwind weather rollercoaster of 2022! While we don’t know what’s in store for us in 2023, we know that together we can ride it out. Happy New Year to all of you! You can visit “Wacky Weather” to see how we fared in 2017 with the exact opposite weather we experienced this year.

BJ’s Christmas Story

12/20/2022

I was very flattered when I was invited to submit a story to the East Gwillimbury Bulletin magazine reminiscing about some of my favourite Christmas memories. This was a very easy story for me to write as I have an incredible passion for my Christmas tree (as everyone who knows me will quickly confirm.) May you have something as special in your life as my tree. Merry Christmas! You can visit “Spud-tacular” to read an article about myself that appeared in the October edition of the Bulletin magazine.

Winter Wonderland

12/13/2022

Whether you embrace it or evade it, whether you enjoy it or hide from it, whether you love it or hate it, winter is here in southern Ontario. Last night the temperature dropped to a rather chilly -15C with some light snow. We woke up this morning to a stunning display of crystallized snow sparkling in the brilliant sunshine. Even though I was supposed to be doing accounting, I couldn’t resist grabbing my camera and heading out into the frigid temperatures for a quick photo shoot. You can visit “Weedy Wednesday” to see some more photos of winter here at the farm in 2019.

The Harvest Team

12/1/2022

This photo of our harvest team was taken on a gorgeous October day shortly after the potato harvest was finished. It’s easy to tell by the smiles on all of our faces how happy we were to finish the important job of putting the potatoes in the storage for the winter. All of us worked incredibly long hours to complete this crucial task.

We all have a role to play as we work on harvesting our crops. While we are working on the potato harvest, we are also picking sweet corn, pumpkins and a variety of squash. Once the potato harvest is complete, we turn our attention to combining the soybeans and grain corn. We don’t stop until every last field is harvested, picked or combined.

I’d like to introduce you to everyone who worked here this season:

Back row from left to right:
RJ, Miguel, Eduardo, Abelardo, Roberto, Jose, Cornelio, John

Front row seated from left to right:
Curtis, Darren, BJ

You can visit “The Faces Of Our Farm Part I” to learn a little more about Don Thompson, the man who started this business back in 1943.

Team Thompson

11/20/2022

It’s the end of a season and a beginning of a new era here at Thompson Potato Farm. We are very excited to announce the launching of a brand new partnership. We have become one family and four proud owners of this farm as is indicated by our new road sign. It has always taken all four of us to operate and manage the many moving pieces of our business. Today we put together our experience, our expertise, our visions and our passion for our farm bring all of you the best that we can offer! You can visit “Our Story” to learn more about who we are and where we came from.

Spaghetti Squash Recipes

11/3/2022

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Spaghetti squash is one of the more unfamiliar and least understood squashes of the squash family. Once it’s cooked, the flesh can be scraped out in long strands that are very similar to spaghetti noodles. It is delicious cooked and eaten on its own. However, the real fun lies with what you can do with the cooked squash. You can do anything with spaghetti squash that you can do with pasta. This squash can bring out the real creative side of you in the kitchen!

I have developed 4 simple recipes to showcase this vegetable grown by our sons John and Curtis. The squash is available for purchase at the farm door. “Basic Spaghetti Squash” is the recipe that you need to cook the squash. “Lasagna Spaghetti Squash” utilizes traditional lasagna ingredients such as ground beef, tomato sauce, cottage cheese and mozzarella cheese. “Garlic Shrimp Spaghetti Squash” is a heavenly mixture of shrimp, garlic, parmesan cheese and alfredo sauce. “Vegetarian Greek Salad Spaghetti Squash” uses fresh spinach, feta cheese, cherry tomatoes and black olives to create a fun play on a Greek salad.

Click on the link above to print or download the file. You can visit “Pepper Squash Recipe” to see my recipe for cooking pepper squash (which is also grown by our sons and sold here at the farm door.) Bon Appétit!

Fall Glory

10/15/2022

Good morning! Mother Nature put on a stunning display of fall colours earlier this week. It was a beautiful moment that we all stopped to admire even as we pushed hard to finish the potato harvest. We are in the home stretch now and anxious to finish. Wish us good luck and more good weather! You can visit “Captivating Colours” to have a closer look at some of the vivid colours spotted around the farm.

Spud-tacular!

10/8/2022

This feature article appears in the October East Gwillimbury Bulletin magazine. It is published in the “EG Women In Business 2022” section of the magazine dedicated to the celebration of Women’s History Month. I have included the photo that is described in great detail in the article. You can visit “BJ’s Radio Interview” for another inside look at the farm.

Pumpkins Are Here!

10/1/2022

I am proud to showcase the beautiful pumpkins grown by my sons John & Curtis. This year one of the pumpkin patches was planted in the field next to my house. It was interesting to watch them grow over the summer. And now they are ready for your Thanksgiving décor and for your Hallowe’en jack-o-lanterns. They also have grown white pumpkins, butternut squash, pepper squash and spaghetti squash. You can visit “At The Door” to see pricing, our hours of operation and directions to the farm.