Soup has been around for a long time. I love soup. I grew up eating my mother's and grandmother's homemade soups and have over the years, developed my own.
Soup is one of those foods that is very personal. Everyone's soup tastes different and each soup you make will taste different than the last. It's a food that is constantly evolving and changes from country to country. Some soups are thick and chunky, while others are thin and mostly broth. Some are like stews with rich flavors while others are creamy chowders full of seafood.
Soup is a way for wise mothers to sneak vegetables and vitamins into their family's menu that otherwise would never be eaten. Soup was one of the first foods my children ate as toddlers and when my husband was diagnosed with Celiac disease it became a way for me to introduce him to the iron rich beans that his body so badly needed. You may never eat black beans or lentils in your regular menu but with soup you can and even enjoy them as they take on the flavors of the other ingredients in the pot.
When my husband and I were first married we started up a weekend soup kitchen to feed those less fortunate than we were. During our honeymoon year we spent our Friday nights peeling vegetables and cooking soup. Our Saturdays and Sundays were wonderful as we stood side by side dishing out steaming bowls of yummy goodness to people who desperately needed the vitamins in the soups we served.
In the past few years we have started a ministry to the fish plant workers in our area. It's a soup ministry (of course). Once a month we go to different fish plant and bring the workers a hot meal of soup, biscuits, cookies and pop. The people of our area work hard in harsh conditions. Long hours are spent in unheated buildings working with fish while standing in rubber boots on cold concrete. Jesus said we are to give a cup of cold water in His name and this is a way that we are doing just that. We're showing the love of Christ by bringing hot soup to very cold people.
Many younger women have never attempted home made soup. I don't know, maybe they think it's too involved but it really isn't. Soup is one food that you don't need a recipe for. It doesn't cost much to make and it can be made in a hurry when unexpected guests drop by or it can be left to simmer all day so its just right when suppertime comes around.
I had thought of giving you a recipe at the end of this post but as I said before, soup really doesn't have a recipe. Just throw everything in the pot and taste it every now and then to see if you like the flavor. If you don't, just add something else. I won't give you a recipe, but I will give you a list of items every pantry should have on hand so you can make a soup. Then let your imagination run wild. Try different things. Experiment. Have fun. Involve your kids in the creation of yummy, glorious soup.
Pantry list:
lentils (canned is fine)
black beans
beef broth
chicken broth
onions
onion soup mix
carrots, potatoes, turnip
frozen vegetables
canned tomatoes
barley
rice, both white and wild
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