Autumn means crock pots and soup. As a child fall was all about soup from fresh vegetable soup to French onion for Thanksgiving.
Autumn Soups
The first soup of the season was vegetable the last of the fresh garden vegetables. The root vegetables used were just a few from the garden. Many ended in a canner or the root cellar for the dark cold winter. The very last of the fresh greens, green beans, and corn were a great addition.
The soup season all of autumn went from the vegetable soup to chilli for Halloween night served with fried scones and honey butter. The autumn soup season would end with the deep rich French onion soup made from onion jam. Therefore the first of autumn was the last of fresh vegetables but ended with riches of the year’s harvest.
Autumn Soup Tips
Sauté your vegetables from heaviest to lightest to layer the flavors, seals in their flavor, and keep their shape better when added to the soup.
Toasting your seasoning slightly before sauté the vegetables draws out their deep flavors.
Cook the barley separately to allow for the soup to not thicken the soup while cooking.
Autumn Vegetable Barley Bean Soup
1 can white beans (can be any variety of bean you prefer)
1/2 cup corn canned, fresh, or frozen
1/2 frozen or fresh peas
2 medium potatoes diced
2 medium carrots diced
1 medium onion diced
Handful of snapped green beans
4 cloves of garlic chopped
3/4 cups of raw barley (this will be cooked separate from soup)
2 tsp. Italian seasoning, basil, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp/1 tsp Better than Bouillon vegetable base
In a large warm sauté pan place your olive oil, add 1/2 seasonings toast slightly. Add onion, potatoes, carrots (heavier veggies) sauté for 3-4 minutes. Then add peas, corn, and spinach. Sauté fro 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic sauté 2-3 minutes.
In a Crock Pot set on low if cooking overnight or high if soup is for dinner (cook 4 hours) add the remaining seasoning, bay leaves, bouillon, sauté vegetables, and 4 cups of water. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
In a saucepan add 1 tsp. bouillon, salt, pepper, and 1 1/2 cup water, and barley. Bring to boil once boiling turn to low. Cook for 20 min. Then add to the soup.
Serve with your favorite sourdough bread or crackers.
Please note you can add any vegetables your family enjoys i.e. celery, green pepper, spinach, mushrooms or even a hot pepper for some heat. You can use the leftovers from the roasted Costco chicken or fresh sausage in place of the beans.
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