Farmer's Soup

Although it's not actually cold as of yet, the first sign of fall and I immediately want soup. Usually it's soup of the heartier kind - gumbo and french onion soup - because it's comforting and it's what I know how to make. However this weekend I thought I'd expand my horizons a little bit and make a soup as a farmer would. This actually turned out to be easier than I thought and just as comforting and nourishing. It's a pretty simple formula. Start with your favorite beans (baby lima, black, kidney, white, etc.), add to that a combination of a little bacon, shallots and leeks, then throw in the vegetables that are in season (I used turnips, celery root and carrots), add chicken stock and some fresh herb (I used thyme) and let all the flavors simmer down. Adjust the seasoning to your taste then done deal and delicious. I think I have often been intimidated with making soup on a regular basis because of the time commitment I was used to with making gumbo or onion soup. This is simple though and really focuses more on the freshness of the ingredients. Soup is good food!