when i was growing up our meals reflected the availability of the seasonal produce in our local " baghalis" or neighborhood markets. today some of us are moving back towards embracing that same traditional approach to cooking and eating as we realize how important the quality (and  origin) of the food we eat is to our health and well being. no matter the season, my childhood meals were always accompanied by an abundance of home made pickles, preserves, jams, and syrups-all varieties of condiments that preserved the life of the produce well past its seasonal prime.  i vividly remember the pungent smell of large vats of crushed grapes turning into vinegar at the end of my grandmother's garden (the smell almost made you woozy), and waking up to the sweet smell of jam being made with the last of the sour cherries towards the end of summer. partly in an attempt to keep some of these old( new) traditions alive, i'm making a serious effort these days to buy and use local and seasonal produce (often from farmers markets), and to " make do" with what i have available rather than go out for specific ingredients geared towards a particular recipe. that is how (and why) the following soup came to be-i had made a vegetarian chili with crimini mushrooms and zucchini and had some of both left over. in thinking about how these two ingredients could work together, soup (love soups) came to mind. simple as that-crimini mushrooms, zucchini, a couple of potatoes....then some (good for you) coconut milk and fresh rosemary from the garden-still in need of some substance: in came the pearl barley...and a new soup was born. we had it for dinner...it was a big hit.