This is the soup for the throw-whatever-you-have-on-hand-into-the-pot cook (like me). You can pretty much use whatever vegetables you have around, and it’s a great way to enjoy the late August abundance of your garden or CSA basket. It’s turned out quite tasty every time I’ve made it.

Here’s how I made it last night. Suggestions for variations follow.

• 1 onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 yellow squash, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• kernels cut from 2 ears of corn
• 3 medium tomatoes, diced
• a small handful of pasta (I used spinach spaghetti, broken into smaller pieces)
• 1 T each chopped fresh basil and oregano
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 3-4 cups water
• salt

I sautéed the onions and garlic, then added all the other ingredients, brought it to a boil and let it simmer about 25 minutes.

Variations: Half a cup of wine adds a nice taste to the soup. You can use zucchini instead of or in addition to the yellow squash. Green beans make a nice addition, too. Other ideas: celery, spinach, swiss chard, kale. Also, you could use chicken or beef broth instead of vegetable. This soup freezes well.

Local analysis: All ingredients from the CSA or my garden! (Whoops, except the salt.)