There’s something very special about vegetables straight from the garden that just can’t be replicated by supermarket fare.

If you’ve ever eaten a tomato from the store know what I mean. Many of those are shipped before they are ripe and taste nothing like one from your garden or the farmers market.

That’s why I so love this time of the year. I have loads of fresh veggies and can eat them to my heart’s content.

The following soup recipe takes advantage of the plethora of veggies my garden is yielding this year. It contains corn, potatoes, carrots, onion and kale from either my garden or from one of my friends. And to top it off, the smoked sausage is from a local meat market.

You can’t get any fresher than that!

Sausage Potato Soup
1 pound smoked sausage, sliced
8 average potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 small onion, chopped
2 cups corn cut from cob
2 cups chicken broth
2 stalks celery, sliced
¼ cup carrot, sliced
1 cup kale, chopped
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1½ cups whole milk
⅔ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Cook sausage until browned and then set aside. Add potatoes, corn, broth, celery and carrots to a pot, add seasonings and bring to a boil. Cook on low for about 15 minutes until potatoes are soft. Add the milk, cheese and sausage and cook on low for another 15 minutes.