Old-Fashioned Crab Soup

An adapted recipe from an old magazine clipping. Don't know the source. My husband makes this but likes to add hot sauce to heat it up. Freezes well.

• Ready In: 2 hrs
• Yields: 8 quarts

Ingredients

• 8  cups water
• 8  slices bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1  lb carrot (chopped or sliced)
• 6  stalks celery, sliced
• 2  medium onions, diced
• 1  large green bell pepper, diced
• 1 1⁄2 lbs cabbage, chopped
• 1 1⁄2 lbs potatoes, diced
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen baby lima beans
• 1⁄4 cup barley
• 1 (28 ounce) can tomato puree
• 1 (17 ounce) can English peas, drained
• 1 (12 ounce) can  shoepeg whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 -2  tablespoon  Old Bay Seasoning
• 2  lbs fresh crabmeat, drained, flaked and picked over
•  hot sauce, to taste

Directions

1. Add the water and bacon to a large pot; bring to boiling; let cook for 20 minutes.
2. Add in next 9 ingredients; return to boiling and cook 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
3. Add in peas, corn, and seasoning (for seasoning, start low and add according to your taste).
4. Return to boiling.
5. Add crabmeat; cook until heated through.
6. Check seasoning and adjust to taste--we usually add hot sauce.