It was late last Sunday. We were rushing back from the beach, hungry and sun-beat with chills from diving under the fresh Long Island Sound waves. We found a few leftover containers of chicken stock in the fridge, and with haste, we decided to make a soup by combining all the farmers’ market vegetables we could find and simmering them in the pot while showering off. It all would’ve been fine if we hadn’t felt the need to use up half a lemon on the container. We added all its juice and peel to the pot and it only augmented the bitterness of the Chinese broccoli and Swiss chard. Next time, we’ll opt for cannellini beans and add in some onions and carrots to supplement the sweetness of the beets and combat those bitter greens!