Vegetable Soup with Pearl Barley

After a long journey through Japan, I returned home with a craving for vegetables. I had never eaten as well as I did over there, but finding a hearty bowl of fresh veggies took some effort in the land of the rising sun. Back home, my vegetable garden had started growing without me and the shelves in the produce store were brimming with delicate Dutch spring greens. I went to my local park to forage some more, and while I was basking in the warm sun, my oven was baking a nourishing soup tha