Stone Soup is the story about some newcomers who arrived in a village, empty handed except for a large but empty pot. They set up their pot in the village square, lit a fire, filled it with water, and then dropped a large stone into the bottom. As the water began to warm up, people came by to ask what was cooking.
"We have here some stone soup, but it is a little bit bland, unfortunately. You wouldn't happen to have any spices or herbs to add, would you?"
As a matter of fact, somebody had some basil to add in, and someone else had garlic. Soon a delicious smell began to waft through the village, attracting more interest and more questions about the dish.
"Well, we are making stone soup but its a little thin right now. What we could really use is something starchy to add."
Someone quickly stepped forward and announced they would contribute potatoes, and off they went. Soon the whole village was chipping in, carrots, cabbage, beets, mushrooms, beans, and before you knew it, a hardy stew was cooked, and plenty enough for all to share!
The newcomers and all the rest of the village feasted on stone soup, and all agreed it was the tastiest soup they had ever ate. The night was spent sharing stories and playing music, and after such a night they never forgot how to make stone soup.
Our Interpretation:
The story of stone soup shows us how to come together to make something great. The final feast is made by all our individual contributions, and is better than what any of us could have made by ourselves. We can see from the story that the act of sharing itself brings our community together, and makes everyone's lives richer. Stone Soup Farm is a place that needs contributions from all types of people and places to become a community. Everyone who becomes involved, in whatever flavor they choose, will benefit from the products and community that are created because of it.
