Rustic Cabbage Soup

this is a delicious bowl-full filled of wonderful unexpected flavor and tastes, using a million vegetables from the farm we pick up fresh produce from each week, surprisingly i have never put them all together in a soup, but here we are today, and i am so glad i did. i was actually looking at cabbage soup cleanses on pinterest and though it looked like a great idea, i couldn't commit completely to eating cabbage soup for breakfast lunch and dinner for 7 days straight. perhaps one day, i will get to that level of achievement, but alas, i am not quite there. i am, in love with this soup and i did eat it almost every day for lunch, so i hope that says a lot about this soup! i love that i used ingredients that were given to me by farmers and gardeners, who put a lot of love and time and care into their thriving produce, the peppers came from my cousin who grows a variety of spicy and mild peppers in her backyard garden-the spiciness of the jalapeño i used permeates the entire soup, giving it an extra kick in the pants flavor that the soup needs. the other veggies came from our friends' farm, that they harvest themselves, even their 7 year old son get his hands dirty, pulling weeds, sifting through the soil for treasures beneath the freshly turnt soil, it all is so inspiring to me, and i want to be a good steward of these gifts I've been given. 

I truly hope you enjoy this soup, it is plentiful in every way, and it is equally simple and yet complex, it is fit for peasants and for for kings. let's get on with the recipe.

you'll need:

1 large zucchini, chopped
1 bunch of celery, finely chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 large head of cabbage, finely chopped
1 large bunch of tri colored heirloom carrots, sliced and diced 
1/2 white onion, chopped
1 purple bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/3 cup purple cabbage, chopped
1-2 jalapeños, sliced into rings 
the juice of one lime
1 48oz container of chicken or vegetable broth 
1 tbs oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
1 tbs minced garlic 
1 tsp sage
1 tsp cumin
S&P

in a large dutch pot, heat up some olive oil and begin sautéing your garlic and onion. always a good base. add celery. let it sweat. add cabbage. add other vegetables, alternating with spices and veggies. pour the stock over the cooking veggies and spices. taste test as you go. does it need more salt? could it use a little extra thyme? let it simmer for a while until everything is cooked and has soaked up those spices and flavors. 

serve hot, with homemade croutons, or sourdough toasted. 

enjoy.