Mom grows beans by the basket load, and it's a pretty big basket. I ate this soup all the time growing up, as did Mom because it was one of my Grandma's favorite dinners to prepare for seven hungry children. It's so affordable, and when you're a big bean-grower, well- it's a great way to use them up! Mom freezes her beans too, so it can be made year 'round with fresh beans. But by all means, pick up some beans at the supermarket and give this soup a whirl. You'll be glad you did. I strongly urge you to bake a loaf of homemade bread and serve it with the soup. (Make sure the bread is lathered sufficiently with real butter.) You can cheat on the bread and buy the frozen bread dough (I always do), but just please don't serve store-bought white sandwich bread... it's insulting to the soup.
To Start the Soup-
2 quarts green beans, or mixture of yellow and green (ends snipped, cut into 1- to 2- inch pieces)
1 small to medium onion, large dice
In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, cover beans and onion with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 30 minutes. Beans need to be tender, cooked all the way through but watch not to over cook them.
Add-
3 to4 large potatoes, cut into large cubes
1 cup sour cream
1 stick of butter or margarine (oddly enough, margarine seems to taste better)
1 cup of milk
salt and pepper to taste
Simmer until potatoes are cooked and still firm, not over cooked and mushy. About halfway through this process, add about 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar, it helps to thicken the soup. You could add a splash more ( I usually do, I'm quite fond of vinegar.)
This soup is great freshly made, but it also remains quite tasty the day after heated up for lunch.
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