Bean Jar Soup

[e_moon60]

Years ago, when we lived in a different place with a reliable water supply, we grew a garden that included beans to dry for later.   Because we were trying things out, initially, we grew a small amount of several varieties, and that meant--once they were dry and in jars--that we didn't have enough of any one of them to make a big pot of bean soup

Comments

[saare_snowqueen]

That looks a treat. I was eyeing some smoked pigs feet at the meat lady's the other day. Next time I'm in town.....

[e_moon60]

I've never used pigs' feet in beans, but should work well, I'd think.

[elessa]

Now I am salivating and wanting a bowl of bean soup. My mother would make a white bean soup with ham hock. Similar in having it simmer on the burner all day wafting its scent through the house.

[e_moon60]

Where I grew up, pinto beans were the standard dried bean, though you could usually get kidney beans too, and black-eyed peas. But yeah--any dried beans slow-cooked with a hunk of pork. I'm eating "mess o' beans" as I write this. Took the picture of 'em just minutes ago.

[e_moon60]

That's what my mouth is saying. (But the mouth *critic* is saying "That second onion would've been a good idea.)

[e_moon60]

Should I add bean soup to the T-day menu? I'll bet George makes a good bean soup.

[e_moon60]

I grew up on the pinto bean version, but--not kidding you--mixing the beans really does improve it. And garlic, if you're not averse to it.

My Aunt Rena (not blood relative, but a wonderful person) made better bean soup than my mother (who made superb beef vegetable and chicken soup, but that's another post.) Anyway, Aunt Rena said once of a pot of beans, "You can't have too much pork, you can't have too much salt, and you can't cook it too long." She used salt pork mostly. I find the bone off one of those spiral sliced hams works well, in part because they don't slice it to the bone all the way back, and when I've wrestled off all the easily removed chunks of ham, there's still plenty of ham bits still adhering. Although those hams are, as I'm sure you know, not a patch on the hams of our youth, those nice firm, dry-cured hams you had to boil some of the salt off of before you baked 'em. Or so my mother said. ANYway, today's readily available hams are on the mild side, so more salt's needed in the soup.

[gifted]

Mm yes! Our fam likes a mix of beans in a creamy vege curry. So good!