1913 - Dishes and Beverages of the Old South

Vegetable Soup

DDV CULINARY

Cut into joints two fat chickens three parts grown, salt and pepper,
and lay aside while you fry in a deep pot half a pound streaky bacon.
Take out when crisp, put in the chicken, turning it so as to brown it all over.
Put in a thick slice of ham, let it also brown a bit,
do the same with four sliced onions--mild ones--
then add two gallons cold water,
half a teaspoonful salt,
two pods red pepper,
a dozen whole pepper corns,
and two sprigs of parsley.
Keep at a gentle boil for an hour,
then put in two small heads of tender cabbage finely shredded,
and six white potatoes, peeled and sliced a quarter-inch thick.
Fifteen minutes later put in a quart of string beans, broken short,
a pint of shelled lima beans,
a stalk of celery cut fine lengthwise,
and a dozen tomatoes, peeled and sliced.
Follow them in ten minutes with a pint of tender okra sliced--
next add a little later the pulp from a dozen ears of green corn,
slit lengthwise and scraped.
Stir almost constantly with a long-handled skimmer, after the corn pulp is in.
If the skimmer brings up chicken bones, throw them aside.
Just before serving put in a large spoonful of butter, rolled in flour.
Taste, add salt if required.
Serve very hot with corn hoe cake and cider just beginning to sparkle.
If there is soup enough for everybody, nothing else will be wanted.