Making the Best Wintertime Soups

Soup on a cold wintery, blustery, day. Does it get any better?

Especially when the soups are hot, flavorful, and best of all, homemade! I was raised on soups and stews in wintertime. Growing up, soup on snow days was always a staple in my house. It hardly ever snowed in the Carolinas, but when it did, schools would close and we were free! My sisters and I share memories of playing in the snow, often times it was as much slush as snow but Mom still let us play til we dropped! We’d come in with frozen cheeks, wet mittens and boots, and warm up to a nice big bowl of hot steaming soup my mother made, a toasty cheese sandwich, and always hot chocolate afterwards. And even if there wasn’t snow, soup just made a cold day better.
As homesteaders, we know about frugality and using up everything in the kitchen, saving everything and wasting nothing. With soup, we can make use of those bits of leftovers from other meals as well as plan for the soup itself! I keep a ‘soup bag’ in the freezer. Almost any side dish with just a spoonful left after the meal, even if it’s just the juice or liquid left in the bowl, in the bag it goes! Scraps of onion, diced carrots or green beans, even a little rice. It all goes into the bag until its full, and then we have ‘leftover soup’. It gives a little plus to the term ‘leftover’, because we all love this soup.
The best soups start with a base, or stock. Sometimes this is a vegetable base for easy vegetable soups. Bean soups seem to go with ham stock. Chicken broth makes a light and more delicate soup, while beef broth is hearty and filling. We can choose what vegetables we like in our soup, as well as whether it’ll be cream soup, broth based, or a thickened chowder. All are delicious, nutritious and filling.
Here are a few tips and pointers to making favorite soups for everyone in your family to enjoy. Some can be made ahead and canned, or can the components and then put it together in a big pot. That’s the convenience of soups.

Making Soup Stock

Vegetable stock can be made with leftover scraps that sometimes go straight to the compost. Why not get an extra meal out of them?

Scrubbed carrot peelings, ends and tips, zucchini butt ends, pepper stems, corn cobs and inner husks, onion skins, celery tops, stems of greens or broccoli and cauliflower, and lots of garlic can all be saved in a freezer bag for making a delicious stock. Don’t forget herbs like rosemary, oregano, and thyme. Save the stems in the stock bag for just this purpose. Let the stock simmer a few hours and strain for delicious vegetable soup.

Chicken stock is my favorite, light and delicious. Even a rotisserie chicken carcass can make an absolutely delicious pot of stock for soup. I gather up all the leftovers, bones, skin, scraps, and add to my stock pot or crock pot along with lots of garlic, onion skins, celery, and herbs. I let it simmer for about 24 hours. Chicken bones will become brittle and mush up after a while, so strain out all the bones and scraps. This delicate light broth is wonderful enjoyed by the mugful! But why not make soup as well!
Sometimes I add fish bones or shellfish shells to chicken stock, for a fish stew that is delicious. Add lemon, horseradish, garlic and pepper for a delicious light stock.

Beef soup bones make an excellent stock. Our cows are butchered with bones in most of the roasts. After a meal with beef, I’ll gather up the bones, meat scraps and some of the fat, put them in a big crock pot filled with water. Then they’ll simmer on low for about 48 hours, making the rich hearty broth. My personal preference is to add LOTS of garlic, a few peppercorns, salt and some onion. Save the papery skins in a freezer bag to add to beef bone stock. Strain out the garlic and onion after simmering a few hours. This broth will have a layer of fat and may even be gelatinous. That’s perfectly ok!
If you make a big pot of broth or stock like I do, it can be pressure canned to meat specifications (adjust for altitude) or sealed in freezer bags and frozen. Be sure to freeze a couple of ice cube trays of broth, for adding a cube or two to boiled potatoes, rice, etc.

Cream may be added to any soup stock. (Dairy or cream cannot be safely canned, so if you are preparing stock for canning, wait until opening the jar to add cream to soup or stew.) When making a thick rich cream soup, I like to use half ‘n half for the tastiest soups. For one quart broth, I add a cup or two cups, depending on the amount of soup I need. Of course, heavy cream can be used for a ‘chowder’ type soup.
To thicken a soup, I will often boil a potato in the soup pot before adding my other soup ingredients. Fine cube the potato, then mash as it becomes tender. Add the rest of the soup ingredients and the potato will help thicken the soup. If you have a little leftover mashed potato from the night before, just stir it in your soup to thicken, let simmer a few minutes.

Beef Mushroom and Barley Soup

What I like about this soup is it technically qualifies for Meatless Monday menus!

You can certainly add some stewed beef or ground beef to it, but it really doesn’t need any. And barley has become a new favorite. It often replaces rice or potatoes in my everyday meals. The vegetables can be harvested and dried during the season, which makes this soup quick and easy. Just add a cup of water if you are using dried mushrooms and celery. Fresh vegetables can always be substituted. Dried tomatoes are a treat any time, but add a little something special to this soup.

1 quart beef stock
1 cup dried mushrooms or 8 oz fresh mushrooms
1 carrot, diced thin
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon celery seasoning
1 cup pearled barley
2 tablespoons vinegar, especially hot pepper vinegar
½ cup crushed dried tomatoes, optional
½ cup dried celery or stalk diced celery, optional
3-4 tablespoons dried crushed greens including kale, spinach, collard, bok choi, cabbage, or turnip greens or 1 cup finely chopped fresh greens
Salt and Pepper
Add all ingredients to a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the barley is tender, about 20 minutes. A nice bowl of soup with warm crusty bread is a great meal!
Makes four servings.

Homestead Dehydrating Tips:

Almost all the vegetable ingredients in this soup can be dried during season for use later. Since I dont grow mushrooms, I found a local grower and place an order and dehydrate plenty. Dehydrating is easy and it’s a great way to preserve your own harvest as well. Most any fruit or vegetable will dehydrate well, hold its shape, and rehydrate for delicious dishes later. To prepare, slice vegetables or fruits into uniform pieces for best results. Some vegetables may need to be blanched or par-boiled. Most fruits only need a quick dip in lemon water or citric acid added to water. Lay the pieces on the dehydrator trays with slight space between. If you have a thermostat on your dehydrator, lower temperatures are better. Drying time depends on thickness of the cut and humidity, but typically anywhere from 8 to 18 hours. Its important to thoroughly dry any food that will be stored long term. If you are unsure, dried foods can be vacuum sealed and stored in the freezer. And don’t forget herbs! Thyme, oregano, parsley and more, all dehydrate well. No blanching needed. Just pull the leaves from the stems (save the stems in the freezer bag for broth) and lay on the dehydrator trays. Herbs usually only take about 8 hours.