Stone Soup

When my daughter attended the local Waldorf school I would substitute as a kindergarten assistant. One of my duties was to prepare a snack for the children each day. In the wintertime the snack was always a hot porridge, soup, or fresh baked bread.

Every Friday I would prepare the children's favorite: stone soup. Each child would bring a vegetable from home; whatever they had in their pantry. This was wonderful as we would have vegetables from many different cultures that were unfamiliar to us. The children would be trying new foods in a fun way.

The recipe:

One well washed, smooth stone
Many different vegetables,
Water
4 Tbs. Butter
Salt to taste
Herbs if desired

I would make this soup in a rice cooker, but you can do it on the stove in a heavy pot. Place stone in pot. Add vegetables that are diced in bite sized pieces, water to make the amount of soup you need, butter, and a small amount of dried herbs. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Cook for two hours, add a small amount of salt to taste.

Serve soup carefully, scraping the bottom of the pot with your spoon to make sure somebody gets the stone. It's nice if who gets the stone is a surprise even for you.

We would have read the story "Stone Soup" to the children at the beginning of stone soup season. The child that found the stone in their soup would be all smiles.

At home Anna will ask for us to make stone soup. We make it with whatever we have at hand in the pantry or garden. It is different every time. It would be fun to host a stone soup party: Each guest brings a vegetable and helps in the preparation. Read the story before serving the meal.

God bless,
Pam