Homemade Tomato Soup with bread - Ah, Winter Lunch

Not our lunch today, but a memorable
one from Vezelay, France

It is blizzard-like outside. We have just tasted bliss in a winter lunch from our summer labors: sweet and dill pickles, fresh Italian bread into great grilled cheese sandwiches, homemade yogurt with last season's frozen blueberries, and, here it comes, Sue's fantastic winter feast - homemade tomato soup.

Oh my.

Joel sat silent during most of the lunch except for sweet moans of pleasure. Once he spoke in sympathy for our world, "Don't you wish you could feed this meal to everyone in the world?" Yes.

The pickles came from small jars. With each we remember gathering cucumbers late in the season at every farmers market we could find.
Though Joel makes great wheat bread, we did finally find the amazing Roma bakery in Lansing, Michigan and treated ourselves to rum cake and a fresh loaf of their bread for super grilled cheese sandwiches (olive oil and butter loaded with Colby and mozzarella cheese lightly dusted on each side with garlic salt before pan toasting).

The star of this meal, preserved at the peak of tomato harvesting - Tomato Soup - is the great gift in the cupboard all winter long: tomatoes cooked down with bits of vegetables - celery, carrot, onion onion, maybe a sweet pepper and a full bouquet of fresh basil. All blended, added lots of butter and seasonings, put in jars, then hot water bath in pint and quart jars. Preserving food to sustain us through blizzard days.

I'll get the true recipe for you when the season comes. If you try this fine soup, prepare to buy at least a bushel or two of tomatoes. You may be giving a lot away.

Yes, I'm back to the crunchy blog and so happy to be with you. As always thank you for stopping by and checking on me. Love, Helene