Thursday, December 29, 2011

Supper From a Jar


We received some home canned foods from my brother, Jeff, for Christmas this year... it's an annual tradition that we always look forward to... he generally gives us a variety of jams, jellies, muscadine juice, some pickled peppers, pickled green tomatoes, and our favorite home canned half runner green beans. And soup... the soup mix takes me back to childhood... Mama always made it, as did her Mama and probably her Mama before her...

Mama made a soup mix of tomatoes, corn, and okra every summer... and in the winter she'd open a jar and add potatoes and onions and maybe carrots for a tummy warming meal... sometimes ground beef or chopped up chicken would make its way into the soup... sometimes rice or noodles replaced the potatoes... but whatever was added... it was so delicious on a cold winter evening... with a pone of cornbread... perfection!!!

This year Jeff gave us two quarts of his version of Mama's soup mix... he had added to the usual tomato, corn, and okra mixture... some bell peppers and some lima beans... And on a cold winter evening just after Christmas, it seemed like the perfect time to pop open a jar and give it a try... with a few additions...

Here's what I did...


I browned a pound of ground beef and added some garlic powder, salt and pepper, and a little onion powder... then I remembered the dehydrated celery so I added a handful of it...

Next I tossed in a half cup of rice and a cup of water to absorb into the rice.

Then I opened up the jar of soup mix and poured it in (tomatoes, lima beans, corn, bell pepper, and okra)

I brought everything to a boil, then reduced the heat and let it simmer for 30 minutes or so (longer would be OK too)


I made a pone of cornbread to go along with the soup (in my cast iron frying pan, of course!)... and what a meal! Mr. Granny and I ate until we were "full as a tick on a dog's ear!" (as my Daddy always says)

Took me back to my childhood and how Mama could make a heart warming, tummy warming meal out of the most humble of ingredients... It don't get no better than this!

12 comments:

  1. Sounds delish, my grandmother always had vegetable soup when we went visiting, so much better than anything from the store, of course we had to have the cornbread with it also. Thanks for he memories

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  2. Thanks! It was yummy... but I ate TOOOO much, LOL! ~~Granny

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  3. I always put up tomato, corn and okra too! Sadly, I find that there is never enough because we eat it too soon. I put mine over basmati rice. Love love love it!

    It's too bad you live so far away or we could can together. That would make it more fun and more productive! Happy New Year!

    Susan Young@ Cooking in the Florida Heat

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  4. It IS more fun to can with someone!! Happy New Year to you too Susan! ~~Granny

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  5. Could i get the Grannies soup recipe from you? Would love to try it. It looks yummy

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  6. I'm not sure there IS an exact recipe... it starts with tomatoes, okra and corn... then he added some limas and some bell pepper... then just can it (I'll double check with him and ask if he pressured it or not, probably did with the corn in it.) ~~Granny

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  7. My Mother-Granny to my girls now-makes a tomato soup exactly like the one you mentioned your Mamma making-with tomatoes, okra, and corn. Her Mother made it too. When we open a jar we add potatoes and onions-like your mother did.

    I haven't heard of many other folks making such a simple soup base to can-so I thought it was so neat when I read your post. I kept reading through the posts below and saw where you said you lived in western NC as a child-thats where I live! Neat to know your elders made the same soup as mine did-and that you and your brother are still making it-like I do : )

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  8. Thanks for reading Tipper... let's keep the skills alive and kicking! ~~Granny

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  9. this sounds so yummy! I am going to begin canning and I am trying to figure out what I can make to can without a pressure cooker. I just recently read that you need one for most of your canning. -christy

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  10. I just finished a batch of 26 quarts of my homemade veggie soup which I put up every year. I use about 1/2 tomatoes, add cabbage, onions, potatoes, green beans, carrots, crowder peas, okra, squash, celery and parsley. Process for the veggie requiring the longest time. When opened for use, I add beef broth, water, salt & pepper, sometimes meat, and simmer for 30 minutes. It's better than freshly made and all comes from my garden!

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