5 cups water
Salt
4 cups chopped fresh or canned beets*
2 cups chopped carrots
2 cups chopped onion
4 10-1/2 ounce cans beef broth, plus 4 cans of water
2 cups coarsely chopped cabbage
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Cook beets, carrots and chopped onion, covered, in 5 cups of boiling salted water for 20 minutes. Add beef stock, cabbage and butter. Cook uncovered 15 minutes. Stir in lemon juice.

*If using fresh beets, cook with part of stem still intact to retain color. When cooked, remove stem, peel beets and chop into small, bite-size pieces. Canned beets should also be cut into smaller pieces.

From Saint Mark’s Church, Bethesda, Maryland.