I think this is the best beef vegetable soup I've ever made! Used all the ingredients as described in the recipe, the only change I made was I didn't blanch the veggies, just added them raw, directly to the broth in stages, carrots first, then squash, then asparagus, to even out their cooking time. I thought there might be too much barley, but it was just right. I did add salt to the broth when simmering the ribs. This is certainly a "Splendid" soup. Many thanks for the recipe.http://www.eat.at/swap/forum1/196871_REC__Beef_Barley_Soup__This_soup_is_fantastic