Vegetable Soup, Clear Broth or Creamy Soup

6 cups cold water
2 large well-scraped potatoes, cubed
1 cup peeled grated carrot
1 cup choped celery with leaves
1 cup chopped peeled beet, peeled turnip and parsley or any other desired leaf vegetable
1 onion, quartered
1 whole clove garlic, peeled
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon any desired dried herb or mixed dried herbs

Pour cold water into a large casserole.
Add all other ingredients and bring to a boil.
Lower heat and leave soup to simmer for 30 minutes before serving.
To serve as a clear vegetable broth, strain mixture through a fine sieve or a cotton cheese cloth to remove all the vegetables.
To serve as a creamy soup, puree mixture, a little at a time, into a blender.
If needed, reheat soup into a clean casserole before serving, or leave mixture to cool completely then refrigerate soup.
Reheat soup until hot just before serving.