Simple if you have fresh vegetables from garden or market. We have lots of things in the root cellar and a few from the Belfast farmer's market even in December. Start with some dried beans - these are Vermont Cranberry from a local farm. About 3 parts water to 1 part beans - but here that doesn't matter since you will be putting in a lot more water later. They take about an hour to cook depending on how fresh they are.
Some canned tomatoes (I used about half of this mason jar full), some green onions from the market, our carrots and potatoes and garlic from the cellar, frozen green beans from last summer, a bit of chili powder and salt, some Chinese cabbage, some cooked pasta to be added at the table...
While the beans cook, cut things up.
Even in December in central Maine we still have kale in the garden (and some brussels sprouts) - not growing, but still quite edible. You can strip the central stem out with your hands - it's too tough this time of year. Then chop into small pieces.
When the beans are nearly done, put in more water and in go the denser vegetables - carrots, potatoes - and the tomato and garlic and other seasonings. After 15 minutes of gentle simmering you can add everything else - the Chinese cabbage can go at the last minute as it needs almost no cooking - the same goes for parsley if you have any. Don't cook too long - the vegetables don't need it - another 5 or 10 minutes at a simmer at the most. We like to put the cooked pasta in the bowls before we add the soup since if you cook it any more it just turns to mush. Serve with popcorn, and maybe a jar of extra chili powder and salt to taste.
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