My grandmother is also a german mennonite, and she used to make this soup except with ham stock as the base, otherwise pretty much identical. To be honest, one of the best soups I have ever had.
Definitely needs a hambone stock to start this soup off and make it truly Mennonite fare...
I made a few changes simply due to personal preference and of course due to tradition of how my grandma used to make it. I boiled the potatoes in chicken broth instead of water to add more flavour. I also threw in carrots and onions and raw farmer sausage at the same time and let it boil for 45 minutes. Added lots of dill and then pureed it in the blender as my kids don't like potatoes but will eat it this way. I added half and half cream only. Amazing flavour and my house smelled great. Definitly going to be a staple in my household this winter.
Neeeds meat; ham or sausage and sorrel or what we called on the farm "sour weeds". Then it is perfect!
My great grandmother made this soup and it is a family favorite. I'm so glad I found this saskatchewan recipe! It is almost the same but hers starts with browning mennonite or farmer sausage in the pan then drain the fat but keep the brown bits in the pan for flavor. She used to use fresh greens from her garden (nobody knows exactly what they were!) but I used fresh dill and parsley. She didn't use buttermilk either just half and half at serving time. This is a delicious hearty soup. My husband loves it (without half and half). My kids hated it the first time and loved it the second time can't wait to see how the third time goes tonight!
I was really happy to find this recipe my grandma was also german mennonite but as she has passed on i couldn't get her recipe. This tasted very similar to hers except as others have added she always used farmer sausage. When i made it I didn't have any on hand so i used fresh bacon bits instead and it still tasted great! I also think it just isn't the same without buttermilk that is what i believe adds the extra kick!
This helped me out as my husbands family makes it but nobody follows a recipe... and I do know that they use beet greens fresh in the summer and spinach in the winter. The best part is the farmers sausage!!!
My father --and only my father out of a household of eleven people -- would eat this soup every Friday. He found it hearty and satisfying. My siblings and I found it bland because of the buttermilk. Give me the borscht with beets please.
I make a stock using farmer sausage then add the potatoes dill salt and pepper. The when almost done add green onion tops and sorrel. Finish with sour cream that has had hot broth added to it so it doesnt curdle. Yummy!
