The Story in a Jar of Soup
When you think of soup, do you think of Campbell's? Or some sort of powdered soup mix? Instant ramen noodle soup complete with bowl? A microwave quickie? Something you pick up from the shelf of your favorite grocery store? Or do you make homemade soup? With hearty, healthy ingredients? Is soup something you make for a quick lunch? Is it a quick way to get your veggies for the day?
This is the story of some very special soup. These beautiful jars of homemade soup contain within them many memories, many stories, and as you can see, lots of veggies. Of course, they are veggie soup, but not just any veggie soup.
First, this soup is the story of last summer, and my garden. Then, this soup is the story of the flood. Then, it tells the story of everyone who helped me after the flood. And last, this is the most delicious soup I have ever eaten, made infinitely more delicious because of the many stories it tells, and the memories it invokes.
Last summer, I grew a garden. I ordered the seeds, dug and fertilized the soil, then planted on the May 24th weekend, when all the old timers say to plant your garden. I watered the garden, weeded, and tended, all through the hot, hot summer. The veggies grew: chard, beets, kale, carrots, onions, potatoes, beans, pumpkin, squash. What a wonderful harvest in the fall. TIme to pick, and bring the harvest into the kitchen, then wash, chop, blanch and freeze in the chest freezer in the basement. My in-house winter veggie supply. I was set.
Then came the flood. When I came home on the day of the flood, to water pouring into the basement, and rivers and streams all around rising to who knew what heights, my neighbours had been to my house and raised the freezer with its precious edibles inside up about two feet off the basement floor. But the water kept rising. I took out some of the food and took it to another neighbour's freezer, and put what I could into my fridge freezer. But I had to leave some behind in the basement freezer. I came home the next day, and my poor freezer was floating, back up, lid flopped open. The remaining stuff, including my veggies and some cherries, as well as some fish and apple juice that belonged to some other neighbours, was starting to thaw. My poor veggies, the frozen remains of my long summer of gardening, were starting to thaw. What could I do with it all? I brought a big basket of semi-thawed veggies and cherries up to the fridge, hoping to eat some, and to give the rest away.
My friend, Mary Mack, came over to have a look at the wreckage in my basement on the Monday after the flood. Hey, she said, I'll take all your thawed veggies home and make you some soup! WOW! I never thought of that, as I couldn't use my water at that point, plus I had no canning jars or a canner. So she took all the veggies home, made a big batch of veggie soup, with all my thawed beans, kale, chard, plus added some carrots, tomatoes, and onion soup mix, She put it into 8 one quart canning jars, and pressure canned the lot for 90 minutes. I told her to keep half of it, but she said no. Another day, she arrived over to deliver the 8 quarts of lovely soup.
So now when I eat my soup, months after the harvest, weeks after the flood, I remember all those stories, the story of the glorious summer, my wonderful garden, the bountiful harvest, the flood waters, and all the friends who helped.
That is the story of the TASTIEST soup ever.
When you think of soup, do you think of Campbell's? Or some sort of powdered soup mix? Instant ramen noodle soup complete with bowl? A microwave quickie? Something you pick up from the shelf of your favorite grocery store? Or do you make homemade soup? With hearty, healthy ingredients? Is soup something you make for a quick lunch? Is it a quick way to get your veggies for the day?
This is the story of some very special soup. These beautiful jars of homemade soup contain within them many memories, many stories, and as you can see, lots of veggies. Of course, they are veggie soup, but not just any veggie soup.
First, this soup is the story of last summer, and my garden. Then, this soup is the story of the flood. Then, it tells the story of everyone who helped me after the flood. And last, this is the most delicious soup I have ever eaten, made infinitely more delicious because of the many stories it tells, and the memories it invokes.
Last summer, I grew a garden. I ordered the seeds, dug and fertilized the soil, then planted on the May 24th weekend, when all the old timers say to plant your garden. I watered the garden, weeded, and tended, all through the hot, hot summer. The veggies grew: chard, beets, kale, carrots, onions, potatoes, beans, pumpkin, squash. What a wonderful harvest in the fall. TIme to pick, and bring the harvest into the kitchen, then wash, chop, blanch and freeze in the chest freezer in the basement. My in-house winter veggie supply. I was set.
Then came the flood. When I came home on the day of the flood, to water pouring into the basement, and rivers and streams all around rising to who knew what heights, my neighbours had been to my house and raised the freezer with its precious edibles inside up about two feet off the basement floor. But the water kept rising. I took out some of the food and took it to another neighbour's freezer, and put what I could into my fridge freezer. But I had to leave some behind in the basement freezer. I came home the next day, and my poor freezer was floating, back up, lid flopped open. The remaining stuff, including my veggies and some cherries, as well as some fish and apple juice that belonged to some other neighbours, was starting to thaw. My poor veggies, the frozen remains of my long summer of gardening, were starting to thaw. What could I do with it all? I brought a big basket of semi-thawed veggies and cherries up to the fridge, hoping to eat some, and to give the rest away.
My friend, Mary Mack, came over to have a look at the wreckage in my basement on the Monday after the flood. Hey, she said, I'll take all your thawed veggies home and make you some soup! WOW! I never thought of that, as I couldn't use my water at that point, plus I had no canning jars or a canner. So she took all the veggies home, made a big batch of veggie soup, with all my thawed beans, kale, chard, plus added some carrots, tomatoes, and onion soup mix, She put it into 8 one quart canning jars, and pressure canned the lot for 90 minutes. I told her to keep half of it, but she said no. Another day, she arrived over to deliver the 8 quarts of lovely soup.
So now when I eat my soup, months after the harvest, weeks after the flood, I remember all those stories, the story of the glorious summer, my wonderful garden, the bountiful harvest, the flood waters, and all the friends who helped.
That is the story of the TASTIEST soup ever.
posted by Beth Jay at 12:01 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home