How do you make fresh water stew in Virtual Villagers 4?

I have tried everything. At the beginning of the game, I skipped ahead a little and collected one of the three different herbs. When it was time to activate the pot, I noticed that I could put the three herbs in the stew. I got fresh water because I thought it would be better for cooking, then I added the three different herbs to the stew. When the stew continued to be "unfinished", i proceeded to add food to the stew. I added everything; raspberries, food from the food bin, and those hard fruits. When that didn't work, I kept adding more foods and more spices. I reheated the stew at least 5 times. Is there a way that I could just empty the pot? HELP ME!