Cool weather brings cravings for savory soups. Many Home Garden Seed Association member websites offer recipes for preparing your favorite garden vegetables in addition to how-to guidance on growing. Remember to check seed company resources for garden advice from the experts! 

Here are six garden-inspired soup recipes from HGSA members. 

Carrot Ginger Soup – Burpee.com

This flavorful soup can be made with any kind of carrot with its rich color and fragrant bouquet of spices.

• Heat 2 tbsp oil and 2 tbsp butter in a large pot over medium heat

• Add 2 shallots and 1 clove garlic, finely minced. 

• Stir in 1 tbsp chopped crystallized ginger and 1/4 tsp each turmeric, ground cumin and cinnamon. 

• Add 3 cups sliced carrots, 2 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash and cover with water. 

• Simmer for 45 minutes until carrots and squash are softened, then puree in a blender with 1 cup yogurt. Serve hot or chilled.

~Ellen Ecker Ogden, author of From the Cook's Garden cookbook

Chard and Potato Soup – Reneesgarden.com 

This hearty but not heavy soup is perfect for cold wet days.

• 4 medium potatoes, peeled, sliced 1/4 inch thick

• 1 bunch chard, coarse stems removed, shredded in thin strips (about 6 cups)

• 2 ounces prosciutto, chopped

• 6 cups chicken stock

• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

• Freshly ground pepper to taste

• Garnish: chopped chives and sour cream

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 large clove garlic, minced

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 2 stalks celery, chopped

• In a large saucepan, heat oil, add garlic and onion, and sauté until softened. Add celery, potatoes, chard, and prosciutto and toss with onion mixture. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to simmer, cooking until potatoes are very tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. 

• Mash potatoes in pan with a potato masher until coarsely broken up. Add vinegar and cook soup uncovered for another ten minutes to concentrate flavors. Add salt and pepper to taste.

• Serve, garnishing each bowl with a sprinkle of chopped chives and a dollop of sour cream. Makes 9 cups.

~You can find more great garden-inspired recipes in Renee’s Cookbooks, available at reneesgarden.com

Broccoli Cheddar Soup – Hartseed.com

Serve this soup on a cold fall day with crusty bread on the side. You can use fresh broccoli, of leftover steamed broccoli as long as it is still firm.

• 1 head of broccoli florets cut up into small pieces (about 2 cups) steamed slightly

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic crushed

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 6 cups chicken broth

• 2 cups milk

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper (black or hot)

• 1 pound cheddar cheese grated fine

• Dried potato flakes (or one leftover potato, riced)

• Sauté onion and garlic in butter. Add broth and milk and bring to simmering. Add cheese and stir until melted, and return to simmer. Add potato flakes (or riced potato) as needed to thicken. Continue to stir until thickened. Stir in broccoli and serve.

• For a twist, sprinkle with fresh grated nutmeg.

Simple Corn Soup – Westcoastseeds.com  

This is the perfect summer soup to serve warm and start a harvest meal. It transforms the corn-on-the-cob experience into a rather more elegant affair.

You can adjust the water content to adjust the thickness. Make it thicker to enjoy as a purée on which to place steamed baby carrots and scallopini squash. Or add more water and enjoy it as a palate cleansing hot drink between courses. However you serve it, Simple Corn Soup will impress your guests with its delicious minimalism. This recipe serves three.

• 3 cobs fresh sweet corn
  1.5 – 2 cups water
  2 tbsp chilled unsalted butter (use a splash of coconut oil for a vegan version)
  salt & pepper to taste

• Using a sharp knife, carefully remove the kernels from three cobs of corn into a large bowl. Use the back of the knife to run down each cob in order to squeeze out any corn juices clinging to the cob. This produces approximately three cups of corn kernels and juice. Divide this in half, adding one part to a medium saucepan. Add the other half to a blender. The amount of water to add will depend on the size of the cobs. If you didn’t quite get three cups of corn, add only 1.5 cups cold water to the blender. If you got three cups of kernels or more, add a full two cups of water. Blend on high speed for several seconds — the intent is to liquefy the corn in the blender.*

• Add the blender contents to the saucepan containing the raw kernels, and set over medium-high heat, stirring often. Once it begins to simmer, reduce heat to low and continue simmering for 30 minutes, stirring frequently to keep corn from sticking to the bottom of the pot. 

• After 30 minutes, remove from heat and add the unsalted butter. Use a stick blender to emulsify the butter into the soup, and to blend the remaining kernels into a thick, foamy soup. If you don’t have a stick blender, simply return the saucepan contents to the (clean) blender, and add the butter before blending on high. Taste the soup and add salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste. 

A dollop of crème fraîche, some finely chopped chives, or even some chopped bacon would bring this soup to a higher level. 

*Half the corn is blended cold, and the remaining half is blended once the corn has cooked. This allows the starches to be released in two stages. It adds depth to the texture of the soup, and makes the most of the rich corn flavor. This extra step is key to the recipe.

Vibrant Beet Soup – Trueleafmarket.com

The color of this soup is gorgeous! The addition of creamy coconut milk subdues the bright color of the beets slightly and makes it look so rich. Use red beets for a deep red color; for a golden orange soup, use golden beets.

The microgreen garnish adds another level of beauty. Consider topping each bowl with chard or cilantro, or stay true to the beet theme with beet microgreens.

• 2 medium sized beets, quartered

• 1 large shallot, roughly chopped

• 4 cloves of garlic

• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

• 1 bunch of parsley, roughly chopped

• ¼ - ½ cup full fat coconut milk

• salt and pepper to taste

• Garnish with microgreens and avocado

• In a medium sized pot, combine beets, shallots, and garlic. Add enough water so the contents are covered ~½ inch

• Bring water to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and allow it to simmer until the beets are pierced easily with a fork

• Transfer everything in the pot to a blender and combine vinegar, parsley, and coconut milk

• Blend on medium speed until it has all been thoroughly combined, and season with salt and pepper to your liking.

Serve immediately and top with microgreens and sliced avocado

Tuscan Bean Soup with Squash and Kale – bbbseed.com

• 1 finely chopped carrot

• 1 stick finely chopped celery

• 1 small finely chopped onion

• 1 14 ounce can (400 grams) of cooked Borlotti (cranberry) beans (you can also use cannellini beans or chickpeas)

• 1 cup of pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled and diced

• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

• 1 small bunch of cavolo nero (Also known as Dinosaur or Tuscan) kale (you could use Swiss chard, beet greens, collards or spinach instead)

• 4 cups of water or vegetable stock

• salt and pepper to taste

• Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

• Gently cook the carrot, celery and onion in a few tablespoons of olive oil and a good pinch of salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepan on low heat. Let the vegetables sweat, not color, for about 10 minutes or until softened. Add the borlotti beans with about a cup of water (enough to cover) and bring to a simmer. Cook 15 minutes. Blend about half of the mixture to a smooth paste and return to the pot.

• In the meantime, prepare the kale by slicing out the long, central stalk of the leaves and discarding, and chop just the leaves roughly.

• Add the pumpkin, potatoes, and kale (if using Swiss chard or spinach hold onto it until a few minutes towards the end of cooking) and top with enough water or stock to cover (up to 4 cups or 1 liter), and cook for 30 minutes, uncovered, over an active simmer so that the liquid reduces slightly and the vegetables are tender. Adjust seasoning.

• Serve with a good grinding of black pepper, a drizzle of olive oil, and toasted bread rubbed with garlic and drizzled with olive oil.