Amish Bean Soup

This is a wonderful warm soup to warm the heart in these last cold days of winter. Being in Wisconsin, warm soup is always a welcome thing. This is a very simple amish soup, so it has very simple ingredients. It's perfect for a beginner cook or someone like me who just wants something easy.

• Ready In: 4 hrs
• Serves: 6
• Yields: 2 quarts

Ingredients

• 2  cups dried navy beans
• 2 1⁄2 quarts water
• 1 (1 1/2lb)  ham bone (thick and meaty)
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 1  small bay leaf
• 1  cup potato, cubed
• 1  cup celery, thinly sliced
• 1  cup onion, finely chopped
• 1  cup carrot, cubed
•  salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Boil the beans in the water for 2 minutes before removing them from the heat to let stand for 1 hour.
2. Add the ham bone, garlic and bay leaf to the beans, and cover and simmer them for 2 hours or until the ingredients are almost tender.
3. Add the vegetables and salt and pepper to taste, and simmer them for 1 hour longer. Remove the ham bone, cut off the meat and dice it to add to the beans. Reheat the soup almost to boiling, then remove the bay leaf.