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How To Make Nail Soup

July 16, 2014 by SimplyBeingMum

A bedtime story is the perfect way to end a day.

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If my mind ever wanders, while sharing a story, I try to bring myself back to the present. I remind myself to be mindful. There may be dishes stacked up downstairs, waiting to be put away, but the Kids’ won’t want a story from Mom indefinitely.

There’ll always be more dishes to put away.

The days can be long, as a parent, and as tired as I can become, I muster up the energy to read to the children. Or, as they have gotten older, read with them, alternating between sentences and pages.

One of my favourite stories to share is “Nail Soup”, a Swedish folk tale. Seriously the Swedes can do no wrong in my eyes.

(you can read a short version here)

And that’s where this post takes a completely different path.

Because with a little bit of this and a little bit of that, you can make up for what you lack.

This is how I make nail soup.

Does this look like a bag of nails?

pots

No. It’s home-grown white potatoes and red onions.

But it could be anything. It could be cauliflower, butternut squash, parsnips, carrots, leeks or tomatoes.

It doesn’t really matter.

With a knife to dice and chop.

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A slow cooker or crock pot to fill with stock.

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Time to pass, say a few hours to soften the ingredients.

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And a hand blender to smooth when cool.

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You have nail soup.

Storecupboards may seem bare, but soup can easily be made from odds and ends hanging around the kitchen and items to use up. Food that will now not go to waste.

Nail soup is very simple, and usually very tasty.

Why not make your own?

Filed Under: Recipes, Simple Recipes Tagged: bedtime stories, bedtime story, making a food save, mindfulness, nail soup, reading with children, Reducing Food Waste, slow cooked soup, slow cooking, soup recipe

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. bellscave says

    July 16, 2014 at 6:03 pm

    Some of my best soups have come together just this way! I grow my own herbs so I always have fresh ones on hand to add to my soups/stews. We call them stoups as they are too thick to be a soup and too thin to be a stew!

    Reply
    • simplybeingmum says

      July 18, 2014 at 9:39 am

      Love the term stoup!

      Reply
  2. bellscave says

    July 16, 2014 at 6:03 pm

    Some of my best soups have come together just this way! I grow my own herbs so I always have fresh ones on hand to add to my soups/stews. We call them stoups as they are too thick to be a soup and too thin to be a stew!

    Reply
    • simplybeingmum says

      July 18, 2014 at 9:39 am

      Love the term stoup!

      Reply
  3. Paula says

    July 17, 2014 at 1:26 pm

    Same here. Some of my favourite soups have been the ones that have come from ‘a bit of this and a little bit of that’ – usually whatever vegetables are still in the fridge at the end of the week. Having staples on hand like tinned tomatoes or tomato puree and herbs, spices and stock cubes can really enhance the flavour of the soup too.

    Reply
    • simplybeingmum says

      July 18, 2014 at 9:40 am

      It’s hard to go wrong really, isn’t it? I’m throwing in beetroot also in my next batch.

      Reply
  4. Paula says

    July 17, 2014 at 1:26 pm

    Same here. Some of my favourite soups have been the ones that have come from ‘a bit of this and a little bit of that’ – usually whatever vegetables are still in the fridge at the end of the week. Having staples on hand like tinned tomatoes or tomato puree and herbs, spices and stock cubes can really enhance the flavour of the soup too.

    Reply
    • simplybeingmum says

      July 18, 2014 at 9:40 am

      It’s hard to go wrong really, isn’t it? I’m throwing in beetroot also in my next batch.

      Reply
  5. Live and Learn says

    July 17, 2014 at 1:36 pm

    I like this story also. However, here our version is “Stone Soup.”

    Reply
    • simplybeingmum says

      July 18, 2014 at 9:40 am

      Ahhh didn’t know that was the same story, but I guess that makes sense from the title…

      Reply
  6. Live and Learn says

    July 17, 2014 at 1:36 pm

    I like this story also. However, here our version is “Stone Soup.”

    Reply
    • simplybeingmum says

      July 18, 2014 at 9:40 am

      Ahhh didn’t know that was the same story, but I guess that makes sense from the title…

      Reply
  7. Jo H. says

    July 18, 2014 at 6:08 pm

    I’ve been doing this for awhile now, too – except I leave the ingredients chopped as I’m too lazy to puree them 🙂 Yours look so good, I need to rethink that!

    Reply
    • simplybeingmum says

      July 18, 2014 at 6:09 pm

      It’s just a matter of taste… This turned out pretty thick! But tasty!

      Reply
  8. Jo H. says

    July 18, 2014 at 6:08 pm

    I’ve been doing this for awhile now, too – except I leave the ingredients chopped as I’m too lazy to puree them 🙂 Yours look so good, I need to rethink that!

    Reply
    • simplybeingmum says

      July 18, 2014 at 6:09 pm

      It’s just a matter of taste… This turned out pretty thick! But tasty!

      Reply
  9. downmyfront says

    July 19, 2014 at 6:05 pm

    I have been making nail soup for years without knowing it had a name! I loved the story and will serve it with great pride from now on.

    Reply
    • simplybeingmum says

      July 19, 2014 at 6:27 pm

      Nail soup rocks!

      Reply
  10. downmyfront says

    July 19, 2014 at 6:05 pm

    I have been making nail soup for years without knowing it had a name! I loved the story and will serve it with great pride from now on.

    Reply
    • simplybeingmum says

      July 19, 2014 at 6:27 pm

      Nail soup rocks!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. No Waste Tastes Great / I Wasted A Watermelon | Simply Being Mum says:
    July 18, 2014 at 9:37 am

    […] I made nail soup. […]

    Reply
  2. No Waste Tastes Great / I Wasted A Watermelon | Simply Being Mum says:
    July 18, 2014 at 9:37 am

    […] I made nail soup. […]

    Reply
  3. Black Friday? Food Waste Friday! | Simply Being Mum says:
    November 28, 2014 at 10:46 am

    […] Guess it’s time for nail soup. […]

    Reply
  4. Black Friday? Food Waste Friday! | Simply Being Mum says:
    November 28, 2014 at 10:46 am

    […] Guess it’s time for nail soup. […]

    Reply
  5. No Waste Tastes Great 2015 Uncensored | Simply Being Mum says:
    January 16, 2015 at 11:21 am

    […] stash above will make a very nice nail soup, which will prevent it going to […]

    Reply
  6. No Waste Tastes Great 2015 Uncensored | Simply Being Mum says:
    January 16, 2015 at 11:21 am

    […] stash above will make a very nice nail soup, which will prevent it going to […]

    Reply
  7. Food Waste Friday / Later Than Planned | Simply Being Mum says:
    April 3, 2015 at 4:41 pm

    […] I could also have said how my potential waste was being chopped and diced and popped in the slow cooker to make a Paleo Nail Soup. […]

    Reply
  8. Food Waste Friday / Later Than Planned | Simply Being Mum says:
    April 3, 2015 at 4:41 pm

    […] I could also have said how my potential waste was being chopped and diced and popped in the slow cooker to make a Paleo Nail Soup. […]

    Reply
  9. What Do A Kitchen Floor, PJ’s & Poldark Have In Common? | Simply Being Mum says:
    July 10, 2015 at 10:28 am

    […] carrots will be slow cooked into a great nail soup. I love nail soup. Anything goes. I still have one portion sitting on the top self from some parsnips, carrots and […]

    Reply
  10. What Do A Kitchen Floor, PJ’s & Poldark Have In Common? | Simply Being Mum says:
    July 10, 2015 at 10:28 am

    […] carrots will be slow cooked into a great nail soup. I love nail soup. Anything goes. I still have one portion sitting on the top self from some parsnips, carrots and […]

    Reply

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