My soup adventure

So it started like this....

Nearly a year ago, I was trying to think of some way to preserve the beautiful produce we'd pick up every Saturday at the Farmer's Market. 

I would buy more than we could eat in a week because it all looked SO good. Then I would end up, sadly, throwing too much out at the end of the week.

Then I would do the same thing all over again the following week.

Not good.

I would think....if I only knew how to make really good soup with all of this produce, then I could freeze it for later.

So slowly I started studying recipe after recipe. 

I discovered I can use one same basic recipe for several of these vegetables. 

I also learned that what works best for us, is freezing the soup in individual 1 cup servings. That way I can put one frozen serving in the microwave for 3 minutes and it's ready to eat whenever we feel like it.

Also, all of my soups are whirled up in the blender before freezing...so no mushy tasting vegetables. But rather a nourishing, hot cup of creamed soup (with no cream but you could add that if you want.) 

So far these are the ones I have in our freezer:

broccoli

butternut squash

green pea 

cauliflower

broccoli/cauliflower

broccolini

tomato (from last summer's tomatoes and recipe a little different)

asparagus

pumpkin/white bean (this recipe is a little different)

Here was my storage of soups last October. 

We've eaten these and more have come in their place.

I kept buying little containers to freeze them in....

until I realized I had this extra large muffin tin in my cupboard.....

Shown here with cauliflower soup

I freeze, then dump them in freezer ziplock bags. 

Works great using less freezer space.

Live and learn, right? 

Here's the basic ingredients I use for the broccoli soup, 

for example:

(MINUS that little red potato. I use to think I needed it to bulk it up some, but nope, I prefer without. 

But you could really throw in whatever you want.) 

Here's basically how I do this.

Saute I chopped onion in 2-3 T butter or ghee or avocado oil

Add 4 cups chicken broth and 3/4-1 t salt

Add 4 c chopped up vegetables

Simmer till soft and then whirl in my blender.

You can add other seasonings as well.  

We also like to sprinkle Montreal Steak seasoning just before serving. And maybe a tad bit of milk if we want it to cool off faster and have it more creamy. 

Look at some of my gorgeous vegetables (before simmered, or whirled in the blender....)

I must add here....these soups while highly nutritious, 

are not high enough in calories or protein to make a meal. 

I mostly serve these as I would a vegetable. 

Then when the pandemic came I noticed that hardly anyone was buying fresh vegetables, except me it seems. 

I keep my recipes taped to the inside of a cupboard...

that's how often I make them!

As my Mom would say, "Don't knock it until you try it."