Posted by Snow in 
This time last year I was in a winter cottage with yards of fresh packed snow ice frozen on the ground. Even as chain lined tires and four wheel driven vehicles stumbled out of the rack every third or fourth day, the dill in the garden came out great.
The fried green tomatoes came out briney and sour, as sort of the pickles of the tomato world. All our vegetables went into the soup kettle, and we had some incredible savory surprises worthy of our best wine.
Soup is the most popular winter food for obvious reasons. It’s warming, filling, you can easily have seconds and thirds if desired without caloric oblivion, and you need no more skill than heating water and stirring a pot to cook it.
New recipes are showing up online every day for everything from cabbage soup to lobster bisque. The trick is to collect the magical ingredients without commencing an entirely new food consumption chain.
The guilty secret we all know is true: We throw out a lot of rotten fruit and vegetables we bought to feel “healthy”.
Overly processed meals, however, beg a larger expense and a more processed lifecycle that is not wholly sustainable. A soup of locally sourced vegetable broth and greens with some tubers and onions is healthily the best choice, while heavy sauces and giant sized portions of fried protein or starch just makes a green stomach want to heave. Using your networks to source edible soup elements will make your tummy happy and wallet greener.
How is this recycling? Easy.
1. Ask the kids to cruise the neighbor’s kitchens for throwaway produce that won’t get used before it spoils. You’ll return the favor before you know it. Kid-watching, mealtime and babysitting favors can easily work as currency for trade in these situations. This also helps to find out more about what your kids are eating at “Billy’s house”. If your kids aren’t eating healthy at home they could be chowing down at the neighbor’s on junk food and soda.
2. Ask your farmer of choice at your local Saturday market for “grubs”, the leavings they’ll be throwing away before packing up. Garlic bulbs, onion skins, bruised tomatoes, misshapen potatoes and oddball celery stalks can find their way into your reusable tote bag. A small quantity of each of these makes a killer soup. Being a regular customer at a neighborhood farmer’s market can have green dividends.
3. Have a Friday afternoon lunch potluck at work with things people can take home. Barter your extra supplies, computer programs, marketing savvy and/or sports betting tips for veggie bits and fruit bags. Use your community activities like swim lessons or crafts classes to work a similar exchange. Send out reminders and follow up by email.
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