Cover photo courtesy Bri Loveall
Recently I had the opportunity to participate in a survival sisterhood weekend retreat with Karie Lee Knoke, founder of Sacred Cedars Wilderness School in Sandpoint and contestant on the reality survival TV show, Alone Season 9. On our second night, Karie Lee suggested we cook over an open flame. On the menu: stone soup. Stone soup is the perfect fall meal because it utilizes a campfire, can be made with simple, community-style ingredients (where everyone contributes some sort of vegetable or herb), requires no pots or pans, and most importantly, is incredibly fun to make and delicious to eat. (Please note: When making stone soup, you should never harvest stones from riverbeds or near water sources, as these rocks explode when heated.)
Ingredients: One very large edible gourd // Autumnal vegetables (think onions, zucchini, mushroom, potatoes etc.) // Herbs // Water // 10 clean stones, about 3-4” in diameter
Directions: Begin heating clean stones in a roaring fire. Cut and save the top off a very large, round gourd and remove the seeds. Dice any variety of autumnal vegetables and herbs and place into the gourd. Move the gourd closer to the fire and fill with water. When the stones are hot, carefully remove 6 or 8 from fire with tongs, remove ash, (we set up a cleaning station for our stones using a grate, pine bough, and water) and place inside the gourd. Cover gourd with the top and allow to cook for a few minutes before replacing stones from gourd with stones from the fire. Continue rotating hot stones for about 20 to 30 minutes. Once soup is actively boiling and vegetables are fork-tender, gently scrape the inside meat of the gourd to loosen and serve.
