Thanks Jen for contributing this hearty soup recipe. Enjoy the story and the soup. HomeHarvesting is a site to share recipes, especially those that use lots of produce from the garden. Email your favourite harvesting recipes to ingrid@tangentconsulting.com.au.

> My Mum's Grandma's meat & veg soup
> I remember this hearty, warming soup from my childhood, and the stories from
> Mum about how her mother and her grandmother used to make it for her. My
> kids love this story (and the soup!) and the concept of how something so
> simple can connect them with long-gone relatives.
> Don't be put off by the fact that the base is a commercial soup - it is
> delicious and pretty much close to the ultimate comfort food for winter!
>> The main ingredients are
> * Lamb or beef (lamb shanks or chuck steak work well, but really any
> cut that is suitable for slow cooking if fine). Trim off any fat.
> * 1 can 'Big Red' soup
> * 4 cans or so of water
> * 1/2 cup (more or less) soup mix
> * 1-2 sticks Celery
> * Bay leaf
> * Worcestershire sauce
> * Whatever vegies you have in the fridge - carrots, pumpkins,
> parsnips, turnips, beans, cauliflower all work well. It can be nice to throw
> in some fresh peas just before serving.
> * Black pepper; salt to taste
>> My mum says that you cut up and throw all of the above into a pot and simmer
> for a couple of hours; sometimes I brown the meat with some garlic and onion
> first.
> I've also been known to add any or all of the following - they all work well
> * Wine
> * Stock
> * Chick peas
> * Lentils
> * Fresh herbs - especially rosemary, oregano and/or basil
> * Risoni
> * Anchovies
> * Kidney beans
>> The result is that every time I make this soup it is a little bit different.
> Over to you to experiment!