Farmers Market Harvest Soup

Here was the challenge: My "Green Team" at work was going to the Farmers Market in the morning to pick out fresh veggies, and I was going to craft soups for the entire office based on what they selected. Piece of cake, I think (or pot of soup, more accurately)! I brag about what great soup I make...I can do this ! Then, as the date gets closer, reality starts to set in. We have no stove at work. I have 4 hours to make soup for 60 people using microwaves, crockpots and a roaster from 1950. 

I start to stress, I lie awake at night thinking about all odd manner of vegetables they could come back with (note to self: try not to anger anyone at work prior to the day of the event). I recruit some "sous chefs" to help chop vegetables in the morning. I buy herbs and stocks that can multi-purpose for just about any combination of ingredients. And then the day comes...and they don't buy anything all that unusual ! Whew...now, how to get all of this cooked with no stove ? We chopped the vegetables fairly small, then microwaved them a bit before throwing them in the antique roaster, and cooking at 500 degrees for 3 hours. Miraculously, everything was blazing hot by the time the hungry workers came to feast, and everything came off without a hitch. This was the largest soup I made, and it could easily be served with no meat, but most of my coworkers are meat eaters, so I had pre-cooked some beef the night before for a more hearty soup. 

I think everyone should try this. I want to do it again, now that I have the strategy down ! This is the recipe, scaled down for home use, and you could just throw all of this in the crockpot and let it go for the day, and have an awesome harvest soup waiting for you for dinner ! 

Farmers Market Harvest Soup

2 pounds hamburger

1 large bottle tomato-vegetable juice

8 cups water

2 cups shredded cabbage

2 cups diced potatoes

1 cup diced carrots

1 cup diced tomatoes

1 cup corn kernels, cut from the cob

2 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon pepper

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Tabasco sauce (to taste)

Brown hamburger in a large pot, season generously with salt and pepper. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until all vegetables are tender. Adjust spices according to your tastes.