1. Peel all of your apples, squash, ginger, and sweet potatoes. 

2. Dice your onion and mince your garlic and ginger. 

3. In a large soup pot, melt 3 tablespoons of butter and add in onion, garlic, and ginger. Sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Keep the heat on low. Add in a pinch of salt. 

4. Meanwhile, dice all of your fruit/veggies. Remove the core from the apples and the seeds from the squash. Try to make all the dices the same size shape. (The smaller the dice the faster everything will cook. I usually for a 1/2″ dice).

5. Add all of your diced apples/squash/sweet potatoes to the pot with onion, ginger, and garlic. Stir to coat in the butter and onion mixture. Add in a pinch of salt and a crack of pepper. 

6. Cover and cook on medium heat, stirring every 5 minutes or so to prevent browning, until all the ingredients are soft.

7. Finely chop the herbs together. Add in the herbs and a pinch or two of salt. 

8. Add in stock or water. The liquid should just barely cover the top of the softened vegetables/fruit. You can always add in more when blending!

9. Simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered. Add a pinch of salt. And more herbs if needed. Meanwhile, dice your bacon (if using) and sauté until crispy. Set aside to drain while you finish the soup!

10. Once flavors have developed, working in batches, carefully scoop mixture to fill a Vitamix blender halfway full, and blend until silky smooth, adding more liquid as necessary. Pour into a heatproof serving dish, or back into a clean soup pot to reheat before serving. 

11. Once all the soup is blended, reheat if needed, or serve right away. If saving for later, cool as quickly as possible, without a lid on the container/pot and then package as needed. 

12. To serve: ladle the soup into bowls and top with a dollop of ricotta and a sprinkle of bacon (if using). Or garnish with chives, green onions or crispy shallots for a dairy-free and vegan option!