Grow Your Own Soup
The word ‘soup’ is derived from the Latin word suppa, used to describe bread soaked in broth. Today, it describes the process of softening and cooking food in liquid.
The French later adapted the word to soupe, which we appropriated, omitting the ‘e’ at the end.
Advantages of growing your own soup
Home-made soup, using home-grown veg, is an easy way to increase your intake of essential nutrients, vitamins and fibre. It also helps you stay hydrated and supports a healthy immune system.
There are so many other benefits too!
For starters, it’s quick and cheap. Using veg you’ve grown yourself, without pesticides, cuts costs and often results in tastier soup than commercial canned alternatives.
It also avoids preservatives and pesticide residues and should contain more vitamins if the veg is harvested when fully ripe.
What's the basis of a good soup?
I always say you can’t fail to make good soup if you start with a large brown onion and a quality stock cube.
Onions
The good news is that brown onions are easy to grow. They can be stored for many months if dried properly after harvesting. Choose larger varieties such as ‘Stuttgart Giant’, ‘Ailsa Craig’ and ‘Autumn Champion’.
Onions can be grown from seed or from onion sets. Sets are immature onions prevented from growing by storing them in cold conditions before sale.
Plant both types into well-drained soil in a sunny, warm spot in late spring. They should be ready to harvest in mid to late summer or early autumn.
Seeds are cheaper than sets but seedlings need more care. They also tend to be ready later than onions grown from sets.
To harvest earlier, look for autumn-planting varieties which mature up to two months before spring-planted ones.
If you want to store onions for the coming year, dry them properly over about two weeks. Place them on raised racks so air can circulate beneath and around them. Do this in full sun, or in a well-ventilated shed or sunny greenhouse.
Homemade Veg Stock Powder
If you want a totally home-made, ultra-cheap soup, why not make your own stock powder from leftover veg and peelings? Root veg like carrots, parsnips and celery are excellent choices.
Use wilted parts of green leaf veg like spring onions, or the stems removed from cauliflower heads. Add herbs too.
Basically, you can use almost anything plant-based, including leftover veg. Roughly chop all the veg and blend it into a smooth pulp. Weigh it, and then add 20% of the weight in salt. This salt acts as a preservative.
Return the mixture to a pan and simmer for one to two hours. Stir frequently to prevent sticking to the pot base. Then, spread the mix onto a baking tray lined with baking paper.
Bake at 150°C for about two hours until completely dry. When dry, crumble it and store in a glass jar. Use one teaspoon per litre of boiling water for your soup.
The best veg to grow
Veg are a hugely important part of many soup recipes. Popular examples include leek and potato, tomato, gazpacho, butternut squash, French onion and roast veg soup, to name a few.
Or try courgette and blue cheese, pea and mint, or garlic and potato if you’re fighting off a cold.
Soup is an ideal way of using up surplus veg. It can also be frozen easily until needed.
Send us your pics!
We’d love to see pics of your homemade soup!
Drop us an email at [email protected] with your finished soup! Or leave a comment below about veg you've grown for your homemade recipes.