Spring Soup

As anticipated as turkey on Thanksgiving or corned beef on St. Patrick's Day, comes this scrumptious batch of early Spring Soup.

The little ones passed a pleasant afternoon perfecting their potage, darting about the garden for a "pinch of this and a pinch of that." Baby Catherine, soup-making novice, proved herself a worthy sous-chef, ably supporting the culinary efforts of Patrick and Marie by fetching leaves, at a fair distance, one by one, to add to the brew. Marie and Patrick stirred by turns, challenging the adage that "many chefs spoil the broth."

For as long as I can remember, two to six year olds of our family have been revising this recipe, with a new generation of tots returning to pick up the torch each year. One Spring, I actually threw away a perfectly good stockpot, so menacing was the murky, moldering mess found inside it months and months later.

Someday, when there are no young ones left in our family to create this verdant concoction, I vow to make it myself on the first warm spring afternoon. Hunting down chives and a bit of garlic mustard for a savory twist, I will take care to whisk with a gnarled branch, because this is the tried and true method of preparation. Stirring the memories of my heart, I will see again two or three blonde heads ringing the pot, their eager faces kissed with mud. Missing from my memory will be the mucky bathtimes and tick checks and torn up patches of moss. Only petal-studded soup and those sweet smiling faces will remain.

Then I will sit back and smile as I re-read the folded scrap of a poem eight year old Margaret composed today:

Spring Soup

Muddy water like a pond
is stewing in the pot.
A delicacy mighty grand
if eaten when it's hot.

Some sticks and moss, forsythia,
and many a shining leaf,
Pine needles, mud and dandelions,
and rocks to use as beef.

Three chefs are swiftly stirring.
Their brew is almost done.
It doesn't look inviting,
But at least they're having fun!

Comments

[Karen E.]

What a terrific poem! And a tempting concoction, too, I might add. :-)

[Cay]

What a great poem and picture!

Just wait till we get back home and I have time to share it with my girls.

They're going to LOVE it...as they do all their visit to the Cottage. : )

[Rebecca]

Your children write the best poems, Alice! The soup sure is colorful and lovely.

[Gerhard]

Bonnita, through Facebook and the Maggelan Courses, I'm flwoloing some links to get to know you a bit. I got to the horses, read your amasing experiences with the horses, duck and racoon, etc. I haven't figured out where you live Is the Kent-place where you work in the UK? I'm not a philosopher, and not a scholar/academic, but what you write about is in much resonance with the experiences I (and the collective Women Moving the Edge) have, and try to write a book about. Looking forward to learn more about you and what you are passioned about. I have a hunch that we approach some similar human potentials, but from a different angle.Let's see where this goes,With love form Belgium,Ria

[Hobbyfotograaf]

Emily I am in the green group right? I have two emails beasuce when I first registered I picked the wrong one blue . I visited Sam's sight seriously you two are so amazing. I can't wait to have my printer working so I can print off some worsheets. love shelby

[Jiji]

for six bucks it's hard to go wrong. They are slightly smellar on the side .. that small part of the past / soup / salad, but it is (in my mind) the perfect size. You can always get more! not just expect things content without going the other. except that they work perfectly. They clean up nicely and not cracked or chipped or something. They look very nice next to bamboo cutting board or something similar. This highly praised.

[Juan]

Crock Pot Bean Soup 1 bag mixed beans, rinsed2 leeks, cpophed3 – 4 carrots, cut into coins4 – 5 stalks of celery, cpophedveggie broth or water and 2-3 bullion cubes1 tbsp Herbs de Provencegreens, cpophed. optionallemon, salt, and pepper to tasteHere’s how to make bean soup when you’re pressed for time. It takes about 15 – 20 minutes to prepare the night before, 5 minutes the morning of, and it’s pretty much ready to go when you’re back from work.The night before: To the crock pot, add the cpophed veggies and rinsed beans. Cover with water an inch over the veggies and beans. Store in the fridge.Morning of: Pour off the water from the beans and veggies. Fill with fresh water and bullion cubes or broth to bd inch over the beans. Add the Herbs de Provence. Plug in the crock pot and turn on low. Will need to cook for 10 hours on low. Less if you do a combination of low and high.