Best Soup (jar gift recipe)

Best Bean Soup  (makes 20- 2 cup mason jars)

What you need:

• 1 pound each of the following dry beans:
• Navy beans
• Great Northern beans
• Pinto
• Red beans
• Lima beans, large size & small size
• Soy beans
• Yellow Split
• Green Split
• Barley Pearls
• Black-eyed beans
• Lentils
• 20- 2 cup mason jars with lids

What you do:

• Mix all the beans together & place 2 cups into a mason jar. Screw on lid.

How to make the soup:

• 1 mason jar of dry beans (in a pinch, I've used the 15 bean soup bag dry beans, sold in stores)
• Place beans in a lg pot & cover with water. 
• Soak overnight.
• Drain off the soaking water.
• Add to the beans, 2 qts of water, a ham hock (or bits of leftover ham, about 1-2 lbs), 1-1/4 tsp Salt & 1/2 tsp Pepper, cover the pot with a lid.
• Bring to a boil... then reduce heat, simmer 1-1/2 hours or until beans are tender.
• Add in 1 chopped onion, 1/4 tsp chili powder, 1-14.9 oz can of petite diced tomatoes, 1 minced garlic clove & 3T lemon juice.
• Simmer for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Remove ham hock & take meat off the bone.
• Roughly chop the ham pcs if the pcs are too large. Return meat to pot
• Serve with crusty bread

I've found the soup to have a creamier texture & better flavor, the next day!