Crockpot Creamy Corn Potato Soup

Tuesday was Crockpot Attempt Number Two, and I was really hoping to make use of the wonderful corn that arrived as a last minute addition to our farm share this week. A neighboring farm had shared enough for each of us to take six fresh ears, and I had some potatoes left from last week’s share. We also got red bell peppers this week, too, so this soup was meant to be.

Tuesdays I usually work in the afternoon, so I got up when Charlie was leaving for work and started chopping veggies. It took a while because of the arthritis in my hands, but eventually, everything was ready to be thrown into the pot. By the time I got home from work, we had delicious soup and enough plenty of leftovers. The crockpot is turning out to be brilliant for Mondays and Wednesdays when Charlie has class until 9pm, since it just keeps things warm, and then whenever we’re ready to eat, it’s ready to feed us.

Ingredients

4 large ears of corn, kernels cut off

1 carrot, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

4-5 small potatoes, peeled and chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 small onions (or one medium, but I had these from the farm share)

2-3 tablespoons of olive oil (I eyeballed it to coat the onions at the bottom)

1 tablespoon dried parsley (use double fresh if you have it)

1 teaspoon tarragon

1 teaspoon thyme

2-3 shakes red cayenne pepper

2 bay leaves

vegetable stock to cover the the veggies (or, I was out of stock, so I used 3 large bullion cubes and water)

1/2 pint light cream

Directions (for a 4-Quart Slow Cooker)

If you’re feeling ambitious, sauté the onion and garlic for a minute or two, but if not, give them a toss in the olive oil. Then, proceed to dump the corn, carrots, potatoes, pepper, and celery on top of it. Toss in the tarragon, parsley, thyme, and red cayenne pepper in. Pour vegetable stock in until the vegetables are covered by the liquid. Give it a stir. Do not add the cream.

Put the lid on, set the slow cooker to “low” and let it cook for about 7-8 hours. Your milage may vary with cooking times, of course, but try to get it so that the corn is crisp and the potatoes are soft.

When you’ve achieved that, pour in the cream and stir it until it’s incorporated. Taste it and adjust any seasoning.