Actually, it isn’t so much the recipe as it is the method that makes my mother’s Super Fresh Vegetable Soup so good.

What’s her secret?

Pick Fresh Veggies Early

The garden is much nicer early in the morning, and the vegetables are so crisp!
We picked some of everything that was ready:

  • Green Lima Beans
  • Black Eyed Peas
  • Pole Beans
  • Okra
  • Tomatoes
  • Corn
  • Carrots

Add Fresh Veggies to Meat Stock

After you’ve peeled, shelled, scraped, and chopped, add the veggies to the meat stock. You don’t really need much meat, but you do need the bones - it just tastes better that way. We used a few beef short ribs and let them boil while we picked and prepared the veggies (remove the bones before adding the vegetables). Add salt, pepper, beef bullion, and any other seasonings that you enjoy, bring to a boil, turn the heat down, cover and simmer until the veggies are tender. One other secret method mother uses is baking the okra before adding it to the pot. It’s supposed to keep the okra from becoming slimy.

Don't Forget the Cornbread

Later, when the soup is almost ready (and your stomach is growling because you’ve been smelling it cook all day), make some cornbread sticks or muffins - they are the perfect mate to fresh vegetable soup. I love to use cast iron cookware for this job. Add a little cooking oil to each stick or muffin section and heat in a 450 degree oven before adding the cornbread mix. That’s the secret to really crisp crust.

Serve Hungry Family

What more can I say?



Keeping it real,
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