BEAN & PEA SLOW COOKER SOUP

Steps:

• 1. In a large crock pot, add all of the ingredients that you like EXCEPT sausage, canned green beans and green peas. If using frozen green beans & peas then add with the other beans and peas.
• 2. Add the beer, ham bone (if using) or ham seasoning, and crumbled bacon.
• 3. Cook on low for about 8 hours. *(If using canned green beans and peas add those in the last hour.)
• 4. In the meantime, if you're adding the sausage, cut it into 1/4" circles and pan fry them, stirring often, until they start to brown. Drain on paper towels.
• 5. About 1 hour before serving add the sausage, stir well and heat through. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
• 6. Garnish soup with thinly sliced green onion tops and serve with hot buttered corn bread. Enjoy! FREEZES WELL! To Pressure Can: Put hot soup into sterilized jars up to 1/2 inch from top. Seal and tighten band just until you have resistance - DO NOT over-tighten bands. Pressure cook according to the following directions: Dial Gauge Canner - Process at 11 pounds pressure - Pints 60 minutes and Quarts 75 minutes. Over 2000 ft above sea level times may differ. Weighted Gauge Canner - Process at 10 pounds pressure - Pints 60 minutes and Quarts 75 minutes. Over 1000 ft above sea level times may differ. FOOD MUST BE COOKED BEFORE PROCESSING IN PRESSURE CANNER. DO NOT USE THE WATER BATH METHOD ~ I don't want anyone to get sick! *Note: cooked seafood can also be added but the processing time must be increased to 100 minutes for pints and quarts.
• 7. *TIPS: To prepare the night before serving, fry off the bacon and sausage, drain and set aside. Pour bacon grease into a container and refrigerate. Leave the crockpot in the OFF position and dump all the ingredients into the crock pot EXCEPT for the bacon grease and meats, cover and let sit overnight. In the morning add the bacon grease & crumbled bacon (if desired), ham bone and ham, stir and set the unit on low for 8 hours. Before serving add the cooked sausage and heat through. *COOKS NOTES: PLEASE READ - My recipe takes it to the extreme and most crock pots will not hold all of these beans/peas. Use the ones you like or will fit in your crock pot. Corn & tomatoes, in my opinion, really make a difference but can be left out if you don't like them. The 1 Cup of beer can be omitted - it will only alter the taste slightly but the beer does make a difference. This is not a low sodium recipe but it doesn't have an excessive amount of sodium/per serving. The portion you eat will be no saltier or have more sodium than the same size portion of one of the canned peas/beans. There is no salt added to the ingredient list - add it if you need to. The fresh vegetables don't have sodium nor do the dried herbs so that cuts down on the total sodium. If sodium is a problem get as many low-sodium canned items possible. If you must rinse off the creamy liquid from the peas & beans you will lose some of the flavor but it's still good, and if you use sausage, fry it off or boil it first to render the grease out. Make this your own! Drain the veggies that have a thin liquid like corn, green beans, green peas if desired. I prefer the frozen peas because they hold up better in the recipe, but canned is fine. If you want to leave the bouillon out, do it!
• 8. I usually add what I have on hand and sometimes I add lima or butter beans, Rotel tomatoes, a can of V-8 or tomato soup depending on if I want it to have more tomato flavor. This will fill a large crock pot to the very top. Either cut back on some of the ingredients to accommodate your slow cooker or divide it between two crock pots. Share this with family and friends or freeze/pressure can leftovers for later.