Slow Down & Eat Soup
Carol of the Bells is a beautiful song…but it makes me feel rushed.
Does Carol of the Bells make YOU feel RUSHED?
It was playing in my vehicle a few days ago, and I found myself driving…well…I won’t say how fast. I just felt so rushed, and that song seemed to set the pace for that day.
Or maybe it’s just this season…these last couple of weeks before the biggest holiday of the year.
So, whatever the reason—whether it was that lovely carol playing loudly while I was rushing to cross another item off my list, or just my own endeavor to make everything perfect for those I love—I’ve decided to be intentional about not rushing through this season.
My family and I love Christmas. Having grandchildren has only enhanced that for Edwin and me. We choose to celebrate this important holiday in our own way, making sure we honor the most important aspects of this celebration.
I mean, creating lights and singing songs, and honoring redemption were all ideas initiated by our Heavenly Father, after all.
So, when I hear Carol of the Bells, I’m going to try not to hear, Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry in place of Merry, Merry, Merry, Merry, Christmas! (Sorry—you won’t be able to unhear that, now!)
And In honor of pushing back against the cultural demands to HURRY, I’ve been intentional about doing some things more slowly…more gently…more quietly. I’ve been taking slow strolls around the farm, removing some former obligations that I enjoyed but didn’t have time for this year, getting 8 full hours of rest every night, and making sure long, slow bubble baths are part of my festivities. I’ve been sitting quietly, remembering these past twelve months, and giving thanks with joyful expectation for next year, which is sure to be an important one here at Heritage Farm.
So, in the spirit of going more slowly, here is my vegetable beef soup recipe several of you requested last month. Counting the 48-hour bone broth, this soup takes two+ days. But the healing properties make it well worth it!
I’m offering a SLOW recipe as a gesture to remind us there are important things this time of year that do not involve rushing, like spending time with the children in our lives, taking a moment to listen to our loved ones share their hearts, making sure there are moments of worship and prayer.
Y’all…the rest will wait.
So, MERRY, MERRY, MERRY, MERRY CHRISTMAS, from Heritage Farm.
May the healing, redemptive power of our Savior and Redeemer be abundantly obvious in all our lives!
Heritage Farm Vegetable Beef Soup
(Inspired by my mama)
Getting started:
Make a 48-hour bone broth from organic beef bones.
Place bones in pot. Cover with water 4” over bones.
Bring to a rolling boil.
Turn down to a simmer and let simmer for 48 hours. YES! 48 hours.
You can easily Google recipes as well as the healing properties of bone broth simmered 48 hours. Some schools of thought say to add a TBLS of ACV, some add carrots, onions, garlic, peppercorns, even cinnamon sticks! Most of the time I just simmer the bones, but I will throw in some of these other suggestions if I have them. (Not cinnamon; that’s just weird.) This same bone broth can be used in anything with beef…other soups, gravies, chili, spaghetti sauce, just to name a few. I find chicken broth a bit more versatile, as the flavor is milder. I even sauté veggies with it!
After 48 hours, strain the broth through a colander. Discard bones. Set broth aside. Broth freezes well or will stay good in your fridge for at least a week. Hopefully, you have some gelled bits in your broth. This is a protein that is so beneficial for eyes, skin, nails and bone health, not to mention what it does for your gut! This is why we MUST simmer it for 48 hours!
Soup Ingredients:
2 lb. ground beef
ORGANIC Veggies:
Frozen baby lima beans or butter peas
Carrots—sliced
Whole kernel corn—2 cans or one package frozen
One large onion—chopped
3 fresh garlic cloves—chopped
3 stalks of celery—chopped
4 potatoes—cubed
3 cans diced tomatoes
Fresh or frozen okra
Salt and Pepper to taste
Secret to Success: Season your meat to taste with salt and pepper. Getting the meat tasting good before adding anything else is essential to the depth of this soup. If you just add salt and pepper to the soup as a whole, every bite of meat will taste bland.
In a large pot, brown your ground beef. You can use other cuts of beef for a more stew-like dish. We also use venison when we have it.
Add onion and garlic. Cook for 10 minutes.
Pour in enough broth to cover the beef generously. More broth can be added later, if needed.
Add the beans, corn, tomatoes and celery.
Return to gentle boil. Cook for 30 minutes.
Add the sliced carrots. Simmer until carrots are tender. About 15 minutes.
Add the potatoes. Simmer until potatoes are tender but not falling apart.
Secret to Success: Cook your okra separately just until tender. Season to taste, as if you were eating it alone. (Not eating it alone in your room—unless that’s your thing—but eating it apart from other food!) When the soup is completely done, add okra. If you cook the okra IN the soup, your soup will be a bit slimy…which Edwin and I don’t mind, but we have some family member who won’t touch slime unless it’s brightly colored and in a jar.
Taste soup. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Soup is better if it sits for a couple of hours—or more—before serving.
Serve with buttermilk cornbread, corn pone, or God-Forbid…crackers.
A few things:
In the summer, I like to use fresh peas or butterbeans, but unless you have your tomatoes canned, fresh tomatoes don’t work well. They make the soup too watery.
Obviously, you can alter this to meet your family’s preferences. Some families don’t like okra, but, hey, we can still be friends…I think…
I visually decide how many veggies to add. We prefer an equal balance of each veggie to the meat.
Enjoy! And as you eat this soup, remember you are feeding your body food that heals!