Garden-ends vegetable soup

This hearty soup consists of vegetables harvested from the garden at the end of the growing season. It’s a minestrone, really, containing tomatoes, green beans, potatoes, herbs--whatever vegetables are available. Because it contains tomatoes, this soup has no roots in Early American cooking because, back then, tomatoes were believed to be poisonous. Tomatoes weren’t eaten in North America until the early 1800s, after Europeans had proven the fruit was indeed safe to eat.

The process for making this soup is loose. Like the cook in the "Stone Soup" fable, you can toss ingredients in the pot as you think of them, chopping as you go, and in the end, the soup turns out fine. The bacon adds extra flavor, but it can be omitted; just substitute olive oil for the bacon fat. The simmering time at the end ensures that the potatoes will be tender and the flavors melded.

Garden-ends soup

2 strips bacon, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 rib celery, diced

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1-1/2 to 2 pounds tomatoes, peeled and chopped

4 cups chicken stock

1 teaspoon salt

small rind of parmesan cheese (optional)

1 large Yukon gold or red bliss potato, diced

6 ounces green beans, chopped

1 small bunch Swiss chard, torn into bite-sized pieces

¼ cup chopped basil

¼ cup chopped parsley

In a stock pot, try out bacon (render fat until bacon is crispy). Drain off all but a tablespoon of bacon fat. Add onions, celery and carrot; sauté until soft. Add garlic and sauté for a minute or two. Add tomatoes, chicken stock, salt and parmesan rind. Bring to a boil and then add potato. Cook for several minutes more and then add green beans, Swiss chard, basil and parsley. Return to a boil and then reduce heat. Simmer, partially covered, for about 20 minutes. Serves four to six.