Winter is a time to slow down, reflect, and nourish ourselves. As the snow piles up and the evenings are longer, it’s a great time to stay cozy with warming soup. Seward Co-op is a one-stop shop for all things brothy and delicious, whether you make it from scratch or let us do the work so you can heat, eat, and dig in.

DIY Stock

Save your veggie scraps in a freezer-safe container — think onion ends, celery tops, carrot ends and peels — and put them in a stock pot with water and your herbs of choice to make a flavorful veggie broth. Boost your broth with mushrooms packed with nutrition, such as dried shiitakes found in Produce, or dried herbs from the Bulk aisle like rosehips, oat straw, red clover, and nettle. You can also try dried seaweeds from the Global Foods aisle.

If you’re interested in bone broth save poultry bones and carcasses in the freezer with your veggie scraps. Crack and roast the bones before boiling to pull out rich, deep flavors. You can also purchase beef soup bones in the freezer section of the Meat and Seafood department. For seafood stock lovers, when preparing shrimp for cooking, save their peels and tails to make a fragrant shrimp stock.

Don’t forget delicious organic vegetables from the produce section to add flavor and nutrients to your soups. Winter squash, kale, root veggies like turnips and potatoes all add delicious flavors and textures to your soups. The Meat and Seafood counter has local options if you choose to add meat to your soup or stews. If you want to add extra protein or abstain from eating meat, the Bulk aisle has many varieties of beans and lentils to bulk up the texture and increase the heartiness of a simple soup. There are also many varieties of pasta to make the chicken noodle soup of your dreams!

Shortcut with Seward-Made Bone Broth and Rotisserie Chicken

No time to make stock? Visit the deli cooler for Seward-made chicken bone broth. Made in house with Community Foods producer Kadejan chickens and feet for extra collagen, root vegetables, and herbs, it’s a soothing base for any soup or stew. For a quick and easy soup that’s hearty and full of flavor, sauté your favorite veggies until they’re a little soft —don’t let them get too cooked or they’ll get mushy in the broth— and add the stock. Shred up meat from a Seward-made rotisserie chicken and add it to the soup before serving. Garnish with fresh dill, parsley, or green onion and a squeeze of lemon for freshness.