......making soup

Yogis,
Thursday was a wet gloomy day. That kind of day that turns the world quiet and invites you to stay cuddled up inside. In addition, my refrigerator drawer inventory was becoming overstocked with cabbages received over the last few weeks from my CSA. The perfect day for making soup!

I usually make soup weekly in the winter, but this year has been so mild it has not been calling to me. In my mind I see soup being eaten with the winds howling at the window and me sitting in front of a fire. And although Thursday was in the fifties, the gray sky and forecast of plummeting temperatures on Friday spurred me to the kitchen. My bright red dutch oven is always sitting on my stovetop at the ready.

I love to make soup.

The very first step is chopping vegetables. Lots of vegetables. Onions and garlic, of course. Carrots, celery and some parsnip thrown in for good measure. And the cabbage. Lots of vegetables means lots of chopping.

I remember when I became vegetarian over 30 years ago, the first thing I noticed was the amount of chopping required for this lifestyle. I wasn’t used to that. But I did it over, and over, and over, until I began to enjoy it. Everyone insisted I needed a Cuisinart, but I am not a gadget person. I felt that if I was asking these vegetables to nourish me, the least I owed them was my personal attention. My hands on them. Holding them for mindful rinsing. Light peeling. Ready for chopping.

Chopping vegetables is its own spiritual practice. No need to rush. Enjoying the textures of each unique one as the knife slices through. The colors creating artwork on the cutting board.  Herbs torn by hand fill the air with their scent. Tears from onions clear the sinuses. And I can never resist popping a piece of each into my mouth. Preparing a meal with gratitude for the gift of vegetables.

As the onions hit the heated oiled pot they sizzle. Soon garlic joins in. Once soft I slide my hand down the cutting board to push in the carrots, parsnips and celery. Finally the cabbage is sprinkled in….the star of this show. Seasonings added. Some canned tomatoes join and finally the glass quart jar of vegetable stock that I made previously which has been defrosting in the sink. As it simmers the many begin to become one.

The trimmings of the carrots, onion and celery are all saved on the counter with leftover bits of garlic and the hard ends of the cabbage. These too will be used as I simmer them in a crockpot with water overnight to make new stock for my next soup. A complete life cycle.

The soup is finished and the whole house smells amazing. A bowl will warm my belly and my soul……and I often end up with enough to share with friends. Spreading the love cooked into homemade food.

Enjoying a connection with my food,
SARAH