I went out to the Pumpkin Patch on Sauvie Island last weekend, and when faced with the wealth of fabulous produce decided I must make borscht.  The had some lovely beets, and it just sounded really good.  A perfect fall soup.

Anyway, I started out with some stew beef and some ham, browning each a bit, then added an onion or two and some garlic and browned some more.  Then I tossed in a can (big one) of crushed tomatoes, since I like borscht on the tomatoey side.  I also added about two extra cans of water at that point.  Then came a carrot, and some celery.

That simmered for around an hour, until the beef was starting to get pretty tender. Then came beets, which I had previously baked until they were tender (about 1 1/4 hours at 350°) and chopped, one diced apple, and a bunch of fresh shell beans (maybe 1 1/2 cups worth).  Simmered another hour, then added salt, pepper and dill weed.

I served it with a big bowl of potato and cheese pirogi, and some sour cream.  Not only was it pretty darn tasty, but there was plenty left over for another time.