By Kathryn Reed

I’ve become addicted to homegrown carrots. But my supplier says I’ve been cut off. The season is over. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do.

I don’t want to share the soup I made with my last bag of those luscious orange veggies. I had good intentions to do so before I made it. I thought it would be a nice thank you to Pat for being my carrot supplier. You know, a little bribe to keep them coming from Reno next year.

Then I thought I could take some to my friend Joy who is living off soup right now as she deals with some medical issues. Then I thought I could get away with not taking her any because it’s not completely organic.

The recipe came to me via another friend when I told her I had all these carrots to use. Should I share with Kim, too?

It’s so hard to decide which I want to be – nice and share or selfish and piggish.

Something about soup on a cold day tastes so good. I’m glad to have another recipe in my rotation.

I don’t think I had ever had carrot soup before. Oh, my, is this tasty. And it is so incredibly simple to make. I’m sure the homegrown carrots added to the flavor because they are so much sweeter than any store will ever sell you.

I didn’t bother to peel them. They were so dang small that it would have taken forever. And I didn’t really care to have part of my finger shaved off either. I seasoned mine with course garlic salt.

Carrot Soup, by Alice Waters “The Art of Simple Cooking” (8 servings)

4 T (1/2 stick) butter

2 onions, sliced

1 thyme sprig

2.5 lbs carrots, peeled and sliced (about 6 cups)

6 cups broth

Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed pot.

Add onions. Cook over medium-low heat until tender, about 10 minutes.

Add carrots. Cook for 5 minutes. Cooking the carrots with the onions for a while builds flavor.

Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until the carrots are tender, about 30 minutes. When done, season with salt to taste, and puree.

Serve with chopped fresh herbs and crème fraiche.