Simmering Soups for Shivering Shoppers

Brrrrr, it's cold outside! And with all the rush of the holiday season, there just isn't enough time to cook. Doesn't a warm bowl of soup or stew sound extra appealing this time of year? Soup is easy to prepare, doesn't need much watching-over, and can be very nutritious, especially when using your own preserved foods. Winter is the time to enjoy all those foods you worked so hard to preserve earlier in the year. Just in case you find yourself wondering what to do with all that canned, frozen, and dehydrated food, I have a few suggestions.

Did you make you own soup blend with dehydrated vegetables? If not, you will find suggestions on how to do so in my article, Using Your Dehydrated Foods. To make soup, just combine your favorite dried vegetables, add water or broth, using 2 or 3 times as much liquid as you did dried vegetables. Throw in your favorite soup herbs, such as basil, thyme, and parsley, a quart of your own canned tomatoes or tomato juice, and simmer for an hour or so, until the vegetables are tender. You can also do this in your crockpot. In the morning, before you leave the house, just combine the ingredients, set the crockpot on low, and, when you come home from work, dinner will be ready.

Make a large batch, and can your homemade soups yourself. Not only are they much better tasting, filled only with your family's favorites, but they are economical.

For the broth, try making your own. Place whatever vegetables you like in a stockpot, cover with an ample amount of water, and simmer, covered, for about 2 hours. Turn off the heat, and let it "steep" until almost cool. Strain through cheesecloth or coffee filters, and freeze or can your broth.

Canned Vegetable Broth

Combine vegetables, such as carrots, celery, onions, peppers, tomatoes, cabbage, squash, lettuce, and anything else you have on hand. Go ahead and season your broth by adding garlic, herbs, and peppercorns to your stockpot.

Cover with lots of water, and simmer and strain as above. Then, ladle hot soup into hot jars, leaving 1 inch headspace. Seal with lids, according to manufacturer's instructions, and process in a pressure canner: pints, 30 minutes at 10 pounds pressure, and quarts, 40 minutes, at 10 pounds pressure.

This is a terrific way to use up fresh vegetables that are past their prime, or to use the ends and pieces of fresh vegetables that you have trimmed for other recipes. Homemade broth can be a rich source of vitamins and minerals.

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