Roughly chop zucchini, green beans, and celery. Chop the celery into ½-inch pieces or less to eliminate stringiness, but otherwise, don’t worry about being perfect with your pieces, since the soup will be blended.
Start the soup
Place all the vegetables in a saucepan and cover with 4 cups cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and partially cover. Cook until the vegetables are soft (about 25 minutes), then turn off the heat.
Add the fresh herbs and salt to the soup, and use an immersion blender to blend into a smooth puree. You can also use a regular blender to puree, but be sure to allow the soup to cool before blending, and/or leave room for the steam to escape.
for the optional seasoning
Heat a teaspoon of ghee in a tiny skillet or saucepan on medium heat. After the ghee melts, add the cumin seeds. Once the cumin seeds start to brown and become aromatic, add fresh ginger, and continue to sauté until lightly browned. Turn off the heat and transfer the spices to the blended soup.
Stir well, and taste. Does it need some lemon? Does it need more salt?
Notes
Substitutions and additions
Substitute the ghee for olive oil or butter.
Blend in half an avocado for a richer version with healthy fats.
Substitute with different spices, such as turmeric, coriander, black pepper, asafetida, or garam masala.
If you are using cumin seeds, add your powdered spices after the seeds start to brown, and sizzle for about 20 seconds.
Substitute the ginger with garlic and/or onions.
Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds for added protein and crunch.
Note about spices
I've made the spice seasoning optional. It tastes great, but the original Bieler's Broth did not use any spices for flavor. Feel feel to try it without the spices. I think it also tastes pretty good.