I do not put ads on my blog but do have a counter that shows me how many visits the pages get. (The stats. count is just there so I can see if I am 'talking' to myself, luckily so far this has not happened.) By continuing your visit here you are consenting to the stats. counter tracking cookies. Cookies, that sounds like something nice to eat but not that exciting.

Growing Your Own Fruit and Vegetables

We grow our own fruit and vegetables for our meals for as much of the year as we can. Without a greenhouse we have to buy shop food in the winter months but in the spring, summer and autumn we often have enough to share with family and friends.

Read about growing your fruit and vegetables here on my growing your own food pages.

Sunday 20 January 2013

A Simple Recipe for Home Made Parsnip Soup.

How to make a Vegetable Soup with Parsnips.


  • Vary the quantity of these ingredients according to your taste preferences and the quantity of soup you are making. 
  • I make my soups thick like a puree and then add more water to them just before serving them.
  • Using the above method of soup making saves on storage space in the fridge or freezer if you are not eating it straight away. I think it also saves on the cooking time and amount of power used to make the soup. 
  • You can start this soup of as described in the recipe below and then put it into a slower cooker or crock-pot to continue cooking until you are ready to eat it. 
You will need a saucepan, wooden spoon and a stick blender or blender.

Ingredients for Parsnip Soup. 

  • You will need a small amount of onions, I use shallots but that is a taste preference.
  • You can add a small amount of sweet potato or ordinary potatoes if you want to bulk up the dish, not too many though as you want the soup to taste of parsnip. Not essential.
  • Parsnips.
  • A vegetable stock cube or one of those tiny vegetable stock tubs. Not essential but I like to add this.
  • A small amount of oil in the base of the saucepan.
Recipe Method.
  1. Prepare your vegetables.
  2. Layout the things you will need so that they are nearby as you work.
  3. Put the onions into the pan and saute lightly, i.e.heat them in the warm oil until translucent but not brown.
  4. Add the cut up parsnip and any other veggies.
  5. Add enough water to cover the parsnips and other ingredients and add the stock cube.  *
  6. Cook until you can tell the vegetables are cooked and soft.
  7. When cool blend. You can freeze it down when cold if you want to save it.
  8. To enjoy this soup at its best! - Reheat it, and serve this as a meal when you are cold and hungry from walking or working outside. Serve it with chunks torn or sliced from a tasty loaf of bread.
* You can finish the soup cooking process in a slow cooker if you like.
Slow cookers or a Crock-pot are a great way to cook recipes like this one.
They come in a range of styles and sizes if you are looking to buy a slow cooker.
The one I use has a ceramic pot inside a stainless steel outer the latest version of this is one: Amazon.co.uk.







a healthy potato plant in flower

a healthy potato plant in flower
photo of potatoes in flower

home grown carrots.. grown from seed

home grown carrots.. grown from seed
photo of my first bunch of carrots 2009

Even a small batch of mixed fruit can be useful

Even a small batch of mixed fruit can be useful
Home Grown Fruit can be made into delicious compote