we eat a lot of soup

and we love it! My turn to make it this week. A big old pot of it. Started with the last of the stock from a few weeks ago. Someone gave us a freshly-killed goose (the best goose of all, believe me) which we boiled and then took the meat off the bones and ate it. The stock was divided and most of it frozen. Making your own soup stock, actually, is a lot less daunting than it might sound. Get some bones (pork, beef, chicken, etc...) and boil them- with or without the meat. Add salt, pepper, onion, garlic, bay leaves, other spices if that's your thing; the Ukrn's love to make stock with a carrot in the mix. We use a lot of the French Provincial herb mix for our seasoning. Save the broth and cool it (if it fits, let the broth cool a bit and then just put the kettle in the fridge overnight- the fat comes to the top and hardens and can be easily removed. You can add water when you make the soup. Believe me (and I know a lot of you know this already) homemade soups are really yummy!

parsley! We had some. S got some. I got some. Time to use it!

heh- this was just a fun shot... ;) 

For this veggie soup, I rough-chopped: carrots, zucchini, celery, leek and sauteed in a bit of oil then put them into the kettle of broth/water that was heating. Because I don't use a lot of grease, I always rinse the skillet after the sauteeing and add that to the soup. Too much oil, though, and you won't want to do this! Chopped parsley and added it. Brought it to a boil (don't forget the salt!), turned it down low and let it simmer till carrots were soft. Also tossed in leftover potatoes and rice and stewed pumpkin (baked with salt and a little butter and pureed).  

the smell was fantastic! 

When it's done, remove from heat then puree. This wand is the handiest thing- a lot easier to clean than a blender a whole lot lighter and easier to use.  

fun to use! 

it's getting smooth. And it's yummy. The cooked squash is great in soup. It's squash season...and we're eating lots of that right now, too!

out in the village Wed eve met these gorgeous roses... and Thurs am, the lady informs me: Someone gave them to me yest but I like flowers on their stem out in the garden, don't like them cut and in the house... would you please take them? Well- you know- I can help you there! I left a few because there were so many...

But we had a few, too! Several of these were very fragrant.