Recipe: Old Farm Bean Soup (using dried beans, salt pork and, crock pot)

OLD FARM BEAN SOUP

1 pound dried navy or pea beans
6 cups water
1/4 pound salt pork
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
4 pork sausage links, scored
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon thyme, crumbled

Pick over beans and rinse under running water. Combine beans and 6 cups water in a large kettle. Bring to a boiling; cover and cook 10 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 1 hour.

Pour beans and soaking liquid into slow cooker.

Score salt pork, almost to rind; push down into beans; stir in onion, carrot, sausage links, bay leaf, salt, pepper and thyme.

Cover crock pot and cook on LOW for 8 hours. Stir beans; turn heat control to HIGH and cook for 4 hours.

Stir beans with a wooden spoon and mash some of them against the side of the cooker to thicken soup. Taste beans; season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.

Makes 8 servings
Source: Carole Walberg