Summer Garden Soup

During the cold of winter nothing tastes better than a nice bowl of hot soup. But not just any soup. The best soup you can make comes from summer produce cooked in a giant stock pot and then hidden away in the freezer for those early dark nights of winter.

I was taught to make this soup when I was about 13 years old. The lady who taught me to make it often let me free in her kitchen as her daughter, my best friend, had no interest in learning her kitchen secrets. Miss Rachel's husband was a truck driver. Mr. Luther was gone alot so for much of my early teen years it was Miss Rachel, Ann and me at their house in Augusta in the summer.

In a very large stock pot:

2 quarts butter beans
2 quarts peas
6 strips streak-o-lean
Water to cover

Bring to a boil, turn down heat and gently simmer until the beans and peas are just tender. When cooked taste them and add just enough salt to season the beans.

To this add:

1 large head fresh cabbage, chopped
2 large vidalia onions, chopped
1 quart fresh cut okra
12 ears of fresh corn, creamed
2 quarts fresh tomatoes, seeded and rough chopped

Return to boil.

At the point of boil you will see you need to add liquid. You can add vegetable stock but I find it is better to add tomato juice. It makes the stock much richer.

Reduce heat to a low simmer. Allow soup to slow cook for a couple hours until the broth is rich. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle into freezer containers, allow to cool. Then freeze.

This soup is best served as the entree with fresh corn bread and butter. I promise, you will need nothing else to make a better meal -summer or winter.

One thing about this soup. There is plenty of it. If you make a stock pot full you have to give some of it to a friend or neighbor. Share and share alike. It's the country folk way.