If stone soup sounds a bit odd, bear with me for just a minute. Because I promise it’s delicious!
And for those of you with little ones, it’s a super fun way to get your kids in the kitchen with you, and potentially (I’m not making any promises, here) eat their veggies too!
This recipe is an old treasure and was inspired by one of my favorite books as a child – Marcia Brown’s *Stone Soup. (I guess it’s no surprise that even as a kid, I liked to read about cooking!)
To improve efficiency for you, and the fun-factor for your kids, it’s important to utilize Mise en Place (as shown in photo at left).
And why not, after all this soup is based on a French folktale! So why not incorporate the French culinary method for ensuring everything is ready to go, so you and your kiddos can just concentrate on having fun and making memories to last a lifetime!
How to Make Stone Soup with Your Kids:
Start out by having each of your children place a “stone” into your crockpot. I like to use little red boiler potatoes as stones, because, really, who wants to put a real stone into their soup? Who knows where that thing’s been?
Next, have one of your kiddos add the water. Then, turn the crockpot on low.
Once the water is in place, start asking your kids for ingredients – one by one – just like in the book:
• “Does anyone have … [name an ingredient]
• “Mmm, what would really make this soup even more magical would be … [name an ingredient]
• The stone has asked for … [name an ingredient]
It’s come to my attention that girls tend to like to do things like swirl-around in circles after adding each ingredient, because apparently swirling makes the soup taste even better. Boys are not usually into the swirling-thing, but mine sure to like to yell “bam” as each ingredient hits the crockpot. I don’t necessarily recommend this, but it is fun! Just be sure to stand clear of the “splash-zone.”
After adding the seasonings, it’s time to add the potatoes. Aidan decides to give me a break on the “bam” action and just gently dumps them in.
Next comes all of the veggies – YUM! You can place these in separate bowls to make it more fun for your little ones to add them one by one, just like in the book.
Finally, it’s time to add the chicken drumsticks – this is a good job for Mom. Be sure to stir the soup to evenly distribute the ingredients, and ensure chicken is submerged in water.
Once ya’ll have added all of the ingredients. It’s time to place the cover on the pot. My boys used to like to do this very quietly when they were little – I have no idea why? And I don’t think it really enhances the flavor of the soup. But let me just say with two rowdy boys, anything done quietly is a bonus in my book!
And that’s it. Now go play and let those stones work their magic – which just might include getting your kiddos to eat more veggies. (One can hope anyway!)
P.S. Now that my boys are older, as you can see they still enjoy making stone soup with me from time to time. And one day, Lord willing, I hope this will be a special memory that they share with their own children too!
Ingredients
- 3 small, whole red or white boiler potatoes, cleaned and scrubbed
- 1 quart (4 cups) filtered water
- 1 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
- 6 red or white boiler potatoes, quartered
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 5 medium organic carrots, sliced
- 4 organic celery stalks, sliced
- 2 medium zucchini, sliced thick (or use 1 cup frozen green beans)
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 3 bay leaves
- 5-6 organic chicken drumsticks, skin trimmed
Instructions
- Pre-chop and have ready all of the ingredients before inviting your children to help. (I use a one-quart jar to place the water and vinegar in. I also recommend placing the soup ingredients into separate bowls to make it easier for your kids to add them.)
- Read the book Stone Soup together.
- Then, have each of your children place one small whole potato (stone) into a 6-quart slow cooker. Have your oldest child slowly pour in the water-vinegar mixture. (If you really want to be silly, sing a funny made-up magical song to get those stones all jazzed up about making some delicious, healthy soup.)
- Next, have your kiddos add each of the soup ingredients, starting with the seasonings.
- To make it even more fun for little ones, place the pre-chopped veggies in various areas of the kitchen. That way, as you call out what you need for the soup, your children can take turns running around to find the requested ingredient.
- Finally, add the chicken drumsticks. Stir to evenly distribute soup ingredients, and ensure chicken is submerged in water.
- Cover and cook on low approximately 8 hours (or on high about 5 hours). Then, a half-hour before serving, carefully remove the drumsticks and allow them to cool slightly. Also remove and discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaves.
- Use a fork to remove the meat from the bones (discard bones, or freeze for future bone stock). Shred the meat using two forks (or your fingers) and add it back to the crockpot. Stir to evenly distribute soup ingredients. Keep crockpot on warm for up to 30 minutes, until you're ready to serve.
- Ladle soup into individual serving bowls and enjoy the magical taste of healthy homemade stone soup!
Notes
Stone soup is magically delicious for kids of all ages – so you don’t have to have kiddos to enjoy the wonderful flavor of this healthy homemade soup!
Freezer Recipe: This soup makes a great freezer recipe. Simply place all of the ingredients (except for the water, vinegar, seasonings and chicken) into a freezer-safe container and freeze until you’re ready to make the soup. (If freezing the drumsticks, do so in a separate container and be sure to thaw in the frig before adding to your crockpot.) When ready, place the drumsticks in your crockpot, along with the seasonings. Next, toss in the frozen veggies and add the water and vinegar. Then, cover and cook as directed. Easy and delicious!
*About the book:
Stone Soup is an award-winning book first published in 1947. It’s based on an old French folktale about some hungry soldiers who came up with a clever idea for getting a free meal. They asked the villagers in the town they were passing through to bring out the biggest pot they could find and then they would teach them how to make stone soup just as they had made it for the King.
Of course the villagers got very excited about the idea of making soup that was fit for the King, so they quickly got the biggest pot they could find. The soldiers then asked for water to fill the pot. So the villagers obliged. Next, they asked for three round stones, which would be the catalyst for the magical transformation.
Then they began to cleverly ask for all the necessary ingredients for soup – one by one – with the villagers humorously running back and forth bringing the soldiers everything they asked for. (After all, if this soup was good enough for the King, then they certainly wanted to try it too.)
The tale ends with everyone sharing a delicious soup that’s only magic was the clever idea of appealing to the villagers desire to enjoy something special enough for a King.
