March 25, 2006

Only four weeks away, April 22nd is the official return of the Summer Market and the many vendors you’ve come to know over the years. The VCE Master Gardeners Plant Clinic resumes that day as well.

The AFM e-newsletter passes a milestone this week, with just over 1,000 current subscribers. Thank you for signing-up and for taking the time to shop the producer-only Arlington Farmers' Market.

Recall that your editor was looking for a vegetable soup recipe that doesn’t use several cups of chicken or beef stock, or for a vegetable stock to use in place thereof.

Turns out there are as many different approaches to vegetable soup as there are vegetables. But common ingredients seem to be carrots, onions, celery, garlic, and turnip, with potato, leeks, shallot, fennel, mushrooms and peppers getting included, and broccoli, cauliflower and various greens getting occasional mention. Always top it off fresh herbs. Perhaps the simplest recipe was a long list of vegetables with instructions “combine in desired proportions.” Avoid using too much of strong flavored veggies such as carrots, parsnips, or cabbage.

Several sources advise to saute or roast vegetables in oil before adding to the stockpot to boost flavor. And use leftover liquid from steaming or from cans. You can freeze these liquids until you’re ready to make your stock. When freezing stock, do not fill your container, as water does expand significantly as it freezes.

For those of us who need more direction than “desired proportion” this is plagiarized from Joy of Cooking.

Combine in a stockpot:
1 medium onion, sliced
1 leek, white part only, cleaned thoroughly and sliced
1 small turnip peeled and sliced
6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
6 cups cold water
1 bourquet garni (Herbs tied in cheesecloth. Joy uses small bunch of parsley or parsley stems, 8 springs fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried, 1 bay leaf, and optional 2 to 3 celery leaves) [A tea strainer may work in place of cheesecloth. You may also choose to let herbs float free. –Ed.]

Simmer gently, partially covered until the vegetables are completely softened, 45 to 60 minutes. Strain into a clean pot or heatproof plastic container, pressing down on the vegetables to extract the juices. Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste (optional). Let cool, uncovered, then refrigerate until ready to use.

Cooks.com offers a slightly simpler Basic Vegetable Stock at:
http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1748,155178-229207,00.html

3 med. carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 med. onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 med. potato, diced
1 bell pepper, diced (optional)
12 c. water
Pepper to taste
Herbs to taste

Combine all ingredients in large soup pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until vegetables are tender (about 1 hour). Remove from heat. Cool and strain. Use liquid as base for vegetable soup or for recipes calling for broth or stock.

For another variation on the theme, check out this Simple Vegetarian Soup Stock:
http://www.healthycookingrecipes.com/souprecipes/vegetablesoupstock.htm

And finally, here is a Light Veggie Soup recipe that could go as a soup or stock:
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=10582.0

So buy lots of vegetables and herbs this weekend at the Market to get started on your own vegetable soup broths.

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