8 ears sweet corn
2 tbsp. vegetable oil or butter
1 med. onion, chopped
2 med. carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
3 med. potatoes, cubed (should have 3 c.)
5 c. vegetable stock
1 tsp. salt (or more to taste)
1 tsp. fresh herbs, chopped (optional)
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Use 2 methods to remove kernels from the cob so that you will have different textures. Cut the kernels from 4 of the ears: Starting at the tip of each ear, cut straight down, leaving about 1/8 inch of pulp on the cob.

Scrape the kernels form the remaining 4 ears: With a sharp knife, slice down the center of a row from the tip to the end of the ear. Repeat until you have sliced every row. Lay the corn over a bowl, and scrape the kernels with a knife, pushing the "milk" from the corn. Go around the whole ear, extracting as much of the milk as you can. Use the cobs when making your stock.

Saute onions in butter or vegetable oil for 3 to 5 minutes. Add carrots and celery and saute another 5 to 8 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Add potatoes, cut and scraped corn, and stock. Season with salt, herbs, and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Cover and simmer 20 to 30 minutes.

Remove 2 cups of the soup and puree in a blender. Add the puree back to the soup. The soup is now ready to serve, or may be kept at a low simmer until ready to serve. Serves 6 to 8.