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Message: [QUOTE="Son of Robert, post: 3029937, member: 7415"] Soup for me is a labor of love. I save the discards of vegetable prep, nothing rotten ever, but more like ends of broccoli, carrots, onions etc., garlic bottoms, anything I think will lend flavor and nutrients. Put it in a zip lock bag, keep it in your freezer and continue to add to it. I add to this all bones from the table and freeze these also. Once you have two bags worth, good size bags, maybe 2qt or so x two you are ready to make a good stock. Simmer/boil on low for a day or so, more like two, adding water when necessary in a 7.5qt pot. Move it around as much as you want with a big spoon. Take your time, when you think you're done, most things in this pot are unidentifiable, you've cooked it down. Strain this a couple of times thru a wire screen strainer regular width, allow to get chilled overnight, then remove top layer of fat which has congealed. You are ready to proceed. If it is bitter at all maybe from chicken bones add some sugar to taste, not much. At this point based on the flavor of your stock decide what kind of soup you want to make. Select a meat, select your veggies, lentils or beans, rice or barley, potatoes, etc. Flavor your meat by sauteing it first. Add your beans and harder vegetables first, then later your quartered mushrooms, noodles etc. Know your timing. Actually making the soup, the cooking of it, really only depends upon your slowest cooking ingredient but there are no exacts. The longer it cooks without making mush out of your veggies the better. Better flavors, better broth. If using beef to cook take your time til it's tender. Add any spices you think you might need. Don't F it up, it won't need much at all. The stock is so vitamin and nutrient rich it is a blessing. Very healthy, liquid gold. Very flavorful. Good stock is a culinary delight. There are only 3 ways to create flavor in soup. The stock, the ingredients you add, spices. Stock is the backbone, hard to get a really great soup without it. You have to have a natural feel for how much of each ingredient you add, I don't use recipes. When finishing broth/water level should be about one inch from top. Plenty of soup to go around, freeze some for other days. Delicious! Make it a little different each time. For vegetable soup use no bones or meat. Same principles. [/QUOTE]

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