"Evelyn" > wrote in message
...

> I don't doubt it is decent edible stuff........ but when I make soup I
> start with fresh live veggies in the produce department and from the meat
> department. My soup is made from tomatoes and celery and carrots and
> onions and chickens or ham, or beef etc. I buy the real stuff and start
> with that.

I always buy fresh vegetables. And organic ones. I will sometimes use the
"Just _____" freeze dried stuff if I am in a real hurry. But if I use the
food processor, I can chop or slice everything quickly. I do sometimes use
vegetable juice. Last time I used Roma tomatoes simply because I had them.
When I make soup is generally for one of two reasons. Either somebody is
sick, or I have some vegetables I want to get rid of.
>
> When you buy those canned broths of any kind, you are paying extra for
> someone else to cut up the meat or the veggies. I wash every vegetable
> carefully of every dead bug and speck of dirt, and trim the fat off the
> chicken, and I know how fresh it is, and what it looks like and smells
> like. In the veggies, I don't use the parts that are bruised, or have dirt
> on them, or seem not fresh. Paid employees mass processing food would
> never fuss like I do.

True, but there is no way I'm going to boil down a dead animal to get broth.
>
> When they process food in a plant, I doubt highly that they have the same
> standards I do, no matter how many organic and non allergenic lables they
> put on it. I know that when I buy cheap chickens say at Wal mart, they
> don't smell as good or taste as good. Instead I buy the Bell and Evans
> natural chickens and they are so fresh and are processed in a quality way.
> They smell and taste completely different. There is no way that any
> manufacturer would do that. They couldn't afford to sell it to the
> public, or they would have to charge a fortune for it. Then too, it
> loses something in being canned. It just isn't as nice or as fresh.

I don't think we can get Bell and Evans chickens. I have heard of the brand
and supposedly they make some gluten free nuggets, but I think they contain
egg. My mom told me only to buy "grown in WA" chickens and to top it off, I
buy only organic, free range.
>
> So when I make soup the way I do, all from scratch, all natural, it loses
> very little flavor or quality in the freezer.
>
> But for a short cut, it is certainly fair to use whatever stuff you can.
> If I was in a hurry I would probably do the same thing, and use canned
> broth. But fortunately I am retired and I can take all afternoon to make
> a pot of soup to freeze for our lunches. I use short cuts too from time
> to time. It depends on how much time I have to expend on cooking.

Unfortunately this year with Angela taking dance classes 4 days of the week,
I have to have quick meals. That means using the crockpot twice a week to
have the food ready when we get home, and once or twice getting the meal
ready quickly before class. Of course I am home and could conceivably take
time to make a meal, but usually it isn't going to be soup since it needs to
be something that is also eaten quickly. We often dine out on the day we
have to go out of town to class. And on the remaining weekday we also
usually dine out since I have to use that day for scheduling all
appointments and we are usually not home.
>
> Another trick I use, is when I cook vegetables for dinner, I will save the
> cooking water and freeze it. Then when I make soup I add that frozen
> chunk to the pot instead of plain water. That way I get extra flavor
> into the soup, and it is all from fresh vegetables. It really does make
> a difference.

I don't usually put any water in my soup.