Bean Soup

stock pot
colander

good soup bone with meat
2 quarts water

2 cups dried white beans
6 to 8 cups cold water

3 potatoes, cleaned and cubed
1/2 turnip, cleaned and cubed
1 parsnip, scraped clean and sliced fine
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Rinse and sort beans in large pot; removing any rocks. Soak the 2 cups of dried beans in 6 to 8 cups cold water overnight or at least 6 to 8 hours. Drain in a colander; rinse the beans in cold water.

Cook a good soup bone in 2 quarts water until the meat can be separated from the bone. Remove the bone and add the meat back to the water. Add the drained beans and boil for one and a half hours; add potatoes, half a turnip, and parsnip sliced fine. Boil all the ingredients for a half hour longer and add salt and pepper. Serve with croutons.

Tidbit: If you salt your beans early they will be tough. Add the salt to the pot of beans just before serving.