• 1 lb of White beans – I use Canellini Beans
• 1/2 cup Barley
• Water
• One or two good sized ham shanks (I think ham hocks are gross and the shanks have more meat)
• 1 Large diced onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 tablespoon Organic Better than Bouillon (Chicken flavor)
• Salt and pepper
• 2 Sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1 bunch of fresh parsley

Cover beans with cold water for at least a couple of hours or overnight. Drain the water, pick out bad beans, wash.

Put the ham shank in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a simmer and simmer for about an hour. Add the chopped vegetables, herbs, barley and beans. Cook for another hour, until the vegetables are soft and the ham meat easily pulls away from the bone. Add Better than Bouillon if needed.

Remove shank, rosemary stem and bay leaf. Pull usable meat off and add back to pot.

At this point I use my old fashioned potato masher and mash some of the beans and veggies to make the soup a bit smoother.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

* You can add carrots if you like. I don’t use them because I feel they make my soup too sweet.