Summer's Bounty, Winter's Comfort, It's A Win Win!!

It is that time of year that we are preserving in some way or another summer's wonderful fruits and vegetables. Be it canning, freezing or jams, we have to admit it, fall and winter are coming and there is no stopping them. Our farm stands are abundant with everything from apples to zucchini. I have found that they are still very reasonable and so please get out and support them. It has been a long dry very warm summer and they still have kept us well supplied with our favorite items.

One of my favorite ways to preserve some of the great vegetables is a two fer. I make vegetable broth or chicken or bone broth veggie soups and freeze them for fall and winter when fresh/local is gone. Why a two fer? because the soup will be used for when a comfort food is desired on a cold snowy day, or if someone in the family is not feeling well for one reason or another.

My soup today includes what I have on hand and what are some of my favorite soup items, including spices and choice of broth. You would of course, use what you like. Because I am using a lot of vegetables today, I will not serve with rice or pasta. Another time with less available vegetables I would toss in some precooked rice or pasta when serving.

Here is what I have today:

Homemade bone broth (turkey)

Carrots

Celery plus leaves

Green Beans

Zucchini

Napa cabbage

Corn

Diced all the veggies, Simmered in water with added spices, fresh parsley with stems, dried oregano and a large bay leaf, 12 minutes

Added my bone broth in amount desired to make the thickness I wanted my soup

Had a bowl, yup, sure did

Refrigerated overnight and froze in way of choice

Instead of freezing all the vegetables separately taking up much more room everything is in one container, a win win!!

Some cool day when you have the time, put something on Tv or stick in your air pods or whatever you like and dice away and make some soup, then this winter when you are enjoying a nice warm bowl, pat yourself on the back and think job well done.

Happy Cooking!!