Root Soup

I dug some gnarly potatoes out of the garden today, so gnarly I knew they wouldn't store well, so I endeavored to prep them for soup, also knowing I had some almost equally gnarly vegetables hanging around in the refrigerator that would not last much longer. 

Above:  Those big ugly roots at the top of the picture are sweet potatoes that were above ground.  The critters out in the garden have been chewing them.  I only brought them in to show.  The pink roots are sweet potatoes.  The piled brown roots are potatoes that also look like there has been some rodent damage.  Then there are carrots, one of which I snapped off when I picked it.  Grrr.

Above:  I picked through the potatoes, choosing the worst, those with a rotten spot or which I had cut in two with the shovel, peeled, cut them up and set them aside in salted water while I worked on the carrots.  I leave my tops when I peel and slice carrots because it's such a convenient handle.  These were a little woody, but still sweet.  I always taste test before I toss in a whole bunch of chopped vegetable.  What if it's bitter and I have to pick it all out?!

Above:  All the ingredients now assembled.  I brought this to a boil and then set it to simmer.

Altogether, the root soup consisted of potatoes and carrots from the garden, half a medium onion, two stalks of celery, two mushrooms, and a precious jar of home-grown tomatoes.  I seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder and marjoram.  I thought about tossing in some high-powered fresh herbs, but I had some wonderful fresh vegetables that I wanted to taste this time around.  Along with fresh-baked bread, this is my supper for this evening.  *smile*

Above:  Two sweet potatoes, a small and a large one, peeled and almost ready to bake.

The sweet potatoes are completely experimental, so I chose a small and large.  The large had a subtle woody cortex that I cut away, but it all tasted the same, that is, sweet.  I put it in the glass baking dish (reused aluminum foil), dotted with real butter and a couple tablespoons of brown sugar and set the oven to 350 degrees for 1 hour.  I am eager to discover how it turns out!