Yellow Tomato Soup; soups for the freezer

First…..

Friday was The Glorious Twelfth!

For those of you who don’t know what The Glorious Twelfth is, in the interest of not repeating myself, yet again, please read about it here…..

Yes, it is, in fact, more than just my birthday.  (Want to see my childhood birthday cakes?)

This year it was more glorious than usual (sorry, grouse).

I no longer covet a Kindle.

Two years ago I really, really, seriously coveted a Kindle.

I no longer covet a Kindle….. I OWN one! (insert 5 minute happy dance here)

Mon mari outdid himself this year…..

I am now the proud owner of a Kindle and spent most of my birthday downloading free books and playing with my new toy.

I had no idea it could do so much.

I’m still pretty excited.

I keep having to interrupt my fun to do boring things like garden:

My garden is becoming more and more like a jungle.  The corn is over 8′ tall and the squashes are taking over everything.  I cut them back everyday and they just keep spreading.

I spend half my day picking vegetables and the other half dealing with them.

Dealing with the vegetables includes cooking, freezing, eating and tossing into the compost pile…. not necessarily in that order.

I will confess that, even though in past years I have frozen vegetables, I have never eaten them.

I freeze them because I can’t abide waste.

I don’t eat them because by the time winter comes around I’m thoroughly tired of summer vegetables and want nothing but winter crucifers.

But I still can’t abide waste.

My solution?

Soup.

Mon mari likes a cup of soup with his lunch on cold days in winter.

I also can’t abide the commercial ‘cup of soup’ packets that pass for food.

Making simple vegetable soups for the freezer is easy.

I make them rather thick and intensely flavored – to conserve freezer space.  To use, I thaw a container (usually on top of the wood stove) and add either water or chicken stock.  One container gives mon mari a ‘cup’ of soup for three days.

Or me a full bowl for lunch.

In the photo, shown ready for the freezer, from left:

Zucchini (Courgette) Soup, Green Bean Soup and Yellow Tomato Soup.

Yellow Tomato Soup

8 – 10 large yellow tomatoes, peeled
1/2 yellow bell pepper
1 large carrot
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
3  – 5 cups chicken stock
2/3 cup Basmati rice
1 tbs olive oil

Roughly chop all vegetables.  Sauté onion in olive oil for 5 minutes.  Add pepper, carrot, garlic, 3 cups chicken stock, cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, add rice and simmer 30 minutes.

Puree soup, adding as much additional chicken stock as needed or desired.