Somma or Krut Borscht

Description
Summer or weed borscht. This borscht was described as "a soup by many names" in the Mennonite Foods and Folkways from South Russia by Norma Jost Voth.

Ingredients

 * 10 cups water
 * 3 pieces of farmer sausage, 6 inch pieces (or more)
 * ½ cup chopped green onion tops
 * 2 cups chopped fresh sorrel
 * ⅓ cup fresh dill sprigs
 * 3 – 4 medium potatoes, diced
 * 3 sprigs parsley
 * 1 bay leaf
 * 8 peppercorns
 * salt
 * sour cream

Directions

 * 1) To the water in a large soup pot, add the farmer sausage and cook for about 1 hour: this makes your soup stock.
 * 2) Remove the pieces of sausage and let cool, then remove the casing and cut up into bit size pieces.
 * 3) Add potatoes, onion greens, dill green, parsley, sorrel, bay leaf and peppercorns (in a spice bag or container) to the stock.
 * 4) Cook this until potatoes are done.
 * 5) Add the farmer sausage pieces back into the soup.
 * 6) Add salt to taste.
 * 7) Serve hot with heaping tablespoon of sour cream in each serving.
 * 8) Good served with fresh homemade brown bread.
 * 9) The farmer sausage can be substituted with a smoked ham hock.