Lately, I’ve been busy harvesting vegetables and cooking them up into soup for my freezer. The potatoes, leeks, onions, carrots and tomatoes have been transformed into nourishing meals, making me feel more prepared for the chilly days ahead.

I haven’t always been a lover of soup. Actually, my foray into the soup kingdom developed only recently. Truly believing I didn’t like any other type of soup, I ate only chicken noodle soup made from my grandmother’s recipe for most of my life. I tried other soups only out of politeness when they were served to me at someone else’s home. It was on an occasion such as this that I discovered French onion soup with its irresistible topping of stretchy cheese. I came away from that dinner party with the recipe, now having exactly two recipes in my soup repertoire.

In an effort to become more of a “Maine-ah,” I eventually succumbed to tasting fish chowder and lobster stew down at the Dolphin Marina in Harpswell. I have to admit, I was pretty amazed at how delicious a combination of milk, seafood and butter could be. I worked very hard to perfect those recipes here at home.

Folks, the secret is butter … and lots of it.

I then discovered another calorie-laden land mine at a holiday buffet. I was introduced to baked potato soup, an over-the-top concoction that includes bacon, sour cream and cheese. I allow myself to succumb to this decadence only at Christmastime, gladly foregoing the holiday cookies for this one indulgence.

I do have a favorite soup that doesn’t have either cream or butter in it. Beef cabbage soup is called “First Soup” because this is what I served my sweetie, Michael, the first time he came to supper. It takes two days to make right and is worth every minute in the kitchen. It begins with a rich stock made from roasted beef short ribs. All manner of vegetables and herbs, including sauerkraut, are added, making this fabulously tasty, healing, “I-could-charge-lots-of-money-for-this” soup.

We believe there’s magic in it. While consuming a bowl of this soup, a contented smile spread over Michael’s face and I could see he was under my spell. He even called me “a goddess,” which I have never forgotten. Needless to say, I make a big batch of this particular soup quite often.

I have to credit my daughter, Shannon, with giving me the final push into the world of soups by introducing me to “The Big Book of Soups & Stews,” otherwise known around here as the “soup bible.”

Sometimes I just randomly open it, gather the ingredients, and begin — making a soup a week. Yesterday, I created a kettleful of recipe No. 44, hamburger barley soup, in anticipation of a visit from my granddaughter, Lucy. I was sure to add extra celery to the pot because from the time she could eat big-people food, this 3-year-old has loved cooked celery and will often raid her dinner companions’ soup bowls for more. This is no exaggeration.

As you can see, I’ve practically turned soup-making into a religious experience. When I’m meditatively chopping vegetables and herbs to add to a pot of homemade stock, I feel blessed with abundance and that all is right with the world. As the pot simmers on the back of the stove, I know I’m providing something good for myself and for whoever happens to come into my life that day. I have what I need. I have enough.

Enjoy this season of soups and please write to me if you would like to share recipes.

Karen Schneider is a freelance writer living in West Bath. She may be reached by e-mail at [email protected].