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Although summer is gone, it's still a great time to use those abundant leftover vegetables from the garden.

Often referred to as last-of-the-garden, these fresh veggies can become the bulk of your favorite vegetable soup.

Bryan Butterfield, of Butterfield Farm Market in Oxford, says there still are many available fresh garden veggies, including tomatoes, green -and red bell peppers, zucchini, okra, eggplant, cabbage, and stringless -and half runners (green beans). Soon, he says he and many other markets will have turnips and all kinds of squash that you could add to vegetable soup.

One good thing about most vegetable soups is that they're versatile.

Sue Joyce, of Oxford, says this recipe never tastes the same way twice because she uses what she has on hand.

"I clean out the refrigerator," says Joyce, about her tomato-based vegetable soup.

Wanda Green's abundant harvest vegetable soup recipe was inspired by Sandra Lee, host of the Food Network's "Semi-Homemade Cooking."

"I got the idea of using fresh, canned, and frozen three-blend vegetables from Lee, so it's semi-homemade," said Green, of Oxford. "It's delicious; it's cheap. So why bother to re-invent the wheel?"

Deb Keehner's vegetable soup also is tomato-based, and she uses typical fresh veggies such as carrots, onions, cabbage, and sweet corn in her hearty recipe, which contains meat.

Now, if you want a lean, filling soup, you'll have to try Weight Watchers Garden vegetable soup.

It's full of fresh vegetables and there are so few calories in this soup that there are no Weight Watchers points assigned to it.

"It fills you up and you don't feel guilty eating it, said Weight Watchers spokeswoman Kristi Widmar. "It's a very lean soup."

Basic vegetable soup

1 lb. ground beef, turkey, or chicken

1 chopped onion

small green pepper, chopped (optional)

2 or 3 fresh tomatoes

2 beef bouillon cubes

salt and pepper, to taste

garlic, to taste

basil, to taste

oregano, to taste

6 cups of water, more or less

potatoes, diced, to taste

carrots, chopped, to taste

fresh or canned corn, to taste

beans, any kind, to taste

celery, cabbage, and lentils, to taste

Brown the meat, onion, and peppers in a 5-quart pot. Drain any fat. Put tomatoes through a blender. Add the tomatoes, water, and seasonings listed above. Now add whatever chopped vegetables you have — clean out the refrigerator. Bring everything to a boil; then cook for at least 30 minutes over a low heat. Proportions are completely up to you. This recipe is never the same twice, but it's always good.

Yield: 6 - 8 servings.

— Sue Joyce, Oxford

Abundant harvest vegetable soup

1 (19-oz.) can Progresso classics hearty tomato soup

2 (14.5-oz.) cans diced or fresh tomatoes

1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste

1/2 tsp dried basil, or more if fresh

1 cup chicken broth

1 to 2 tbs olive oil

3 -4 small or 2 large zucchini, peeled and chopped

additional 1/4 tsp black pepper

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1/4 tsp dried basil, or fresh, to taste

salt, to taste

1/2 of 8-oz. package frozen carrots

additional 1 to 2 tbs olive oil

1 (4-oz.) jar mushrooms, drained, or fresh

additional salt and pepper, to taste

If you don't have Progresso soup on hand, use either Campbell's condensed tomato soup or Healthy Request tomato soup.

In a deep saucepan or Dutch oven, add soup, diced or fresh tomatoes, 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper or to taste, and 1/2 teaspoon of dried basil. Mix well. Simmer on a medium heat. Stir; add chicken broth.

In a skillet, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat to medium high. Add chopped zucchini; then saute with 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Add red and green peppers to zucchini. Add 1/4 teaspoon of basil and salt, to taste.

To the Dutch oven tomato mixture, add frozen carrots and an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Add contents of skillet to tomato mixture; add drained mushrooms. Lower temperature to a simmer; add salt and pepper, to taste. Tip: You want the veggies to be slightly crispy.

Yield: 4 - 6 servings.

—Wanda Green, Oxford

Deb Keehner's vegetable soup

1 lb. stew meat, fat trimmed

1 quart tomato juice

4 potatoes, cubed

4 carrots, diced

2 onions, diced

1 pint sweet corn, fresh or frozen

1 pint peas, fresh or frozen

2 cups chopped cabbage

1 cup rice

celery flakes, to taste

salt and pepper, to taste

garlic powder, to taste (optional)

Cook beef on the stove top in a deep saucepan. Chill in refrigerator; then skim off fat and discard. Add rest of the ingredients to the beef in the deep pot. Cover; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer all day. (Note: This soup thickens the longer it cooks because the rice and potatoes thicken it.)

Yield: 8 - 10 servings.

Weight Watchers' Garden vegetable soup

2/3 cup sliced carrot

1/2 cup diced onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups fat-free broth (beef, chicken, or vegetable)

1 1/2 cups diced green cabbage

1/2 cup green beans

1 tbs tomato paste

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup diced zucchini

In large saucepan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, saute the carrot, onion, and garlic over low heat until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add broth, cabbage, beans, tomato paste, basil, oregano, and salt; bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered, about 15 minutes or until beans are tender.

Stir in zucchini and heat 3 - 4 minutes. Serve hot.

Makes four 1-cup servings. (On the Weight Watchers' flex points plan, one serving of this soup is zero points.)