Part of my mission in life is to help people take back control of their lives. Without going into detail, at one point I found myself bankrupt, with severe health issues, working a soul-crushing job I hated for next to no pay. The medical institutions had failed me, my food was covered in pesticides and could barely even be called "food", and the American dream was just out of reach.

So I began a new journey - one of self-sufficiency, learning natural remedies to take back control from big pharma, growing my own organic food to take control back from big agro-, and (with Steem) making my own money outside of the big banking systems.

Part of my mission is finding delicious, nutritious, organic recipes that are EASY to make in the midst of our busy lives. And preserving that food, so the days when I find myself without lunch or a plan for dinner, I know I have a pantry full of healthy, organic food I've put up.

The last time I ate store-bought canned soup I instantly got a migraine and was laid up in bed the rest of the day! I'm not sure if it was MSG, or salt, or what...but what can be in soup that made my brain revolt?!

I love this recipe for French onion soup so much, I make a large batch every other month.

I've written another post on how to grow onions if you're interested in growing them yourself. If not, buying organic from a local farmer not only is a reliable source of great, organic veg but also puts money back into your local economy. Win-win!

This recipe is very unfussy. It takes a lot of time (in the slow cooker) but not a lot of ingredients.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 6 large onions peeled and cut into rings
• 4-5 cups of beef or vegetable broth
• 1/4-1/3 cup red wine or dry cooking sherry

Cooking Instructions

1. Slice onions into large rings and place (with the oil) in a crockpot or large soup pot on the stove.
2. If using the crockpot method, cook on low, stirring occasionally, until they turn a delicious brown. If using the pot method, simply simmer on low, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to caramelize.
3. Add the broth and red wine.
4. Simmer for at least half an hour longer to let the flavors develop and intermix. You can simmer for even longer if you like - this is a very forgiving soup.

Canning Instructions

1. Ladle soup into cleaned jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace.
2. Process pints in a pressure cooker for 60 minutes
3. Process quarts in a pressure cooker for 75 minutes.