Meldy, now I need to know what the 16 beans are!!

I make it at least once a year about now, the beans come prepackaged in a bag at the store. Have to look it up to name them all but sure is good. I like to chunk as much ham as will fit in the crock pot along with the bone to give it some more body.

Even if it's made with only plain old Navy beans, it's delicious.

A few years' ago we were at our granddaughter's for a Xmas Eve gathering. She and her DH had a great meal with a wonderful ham. When they were clearing away, she said, "There's not enough ham left to bother with, so I'll toss it". She was surprised when I asked if I could have it, but said, "Sure". (Guess she thought her WV grandparents were having "hard times".) :>) Anyway, we made bean soup and had two or three extra meals for the freezer. I'll take those kind of "throw-aways", any time!

Okay Don, spill the beans and count to make sure there are 16 different kinds.

Oh my, Ilove this--soup is the soul food of cold winter nights. I have leek and potato soup, chicken noodle soup, and ham and pea soup in the freezer right and will make New England clam chowder within a couple of days. This is how to live.

We've had soup weather for weeks now and I've fixed my share of soups. Comfort food.
I've never done a 16 bean soup, but I do a packaged 6 bean soup. It's from a Korean store in our neighborhood and it works for me. The bean list is :" Brown soybean,peabeans,kidney beans,lima beans,cowpeas beans, and black beans."

This is the one I use.

Here is a link that might be useful: 15 Bean Soup

Now I am getting hungry and my husband vetos bean soup. Grrrr.

anneliese_,dh and I have very different tastes in food. I like sea food he likes meat and potatoes. I cook for both of us at times, other times I cook what I like and he will have to fetch for himself. He may veto what he eats, but never vetos what I cook.

west gardener, we used to do that, especially when we had different work times, but now he is completely dependent on me and cooking two meals is just a drag, so I give in and just sometimes make something for myself.

Well, it doesn't feed an army for under $1, cause I paid $2 plus at the local Kroger store for them.

My SIL made them with cut up pieces of bratwurst browned, with diced tomatoes and a chopped onion.

I made them with smoked sausage links..

Thinking I will get a few slices of boiled ham to add to the next batch... delish!

anneliese, I can identify with the kind of work it takes to cook two separate menus each day. I don't do that every day. I cook some for dh and some for me. I've learned to eat what dh likes, and I must say that dh has been very brave and has tried some of my favorite foods.

So that's what I was leaving out when I made multi-bean (be it either 15 or 16) soup... ham or sausage. Bet that's why I didn't like it. Duh!

A woman's philanthropic group in town used to sell 15 bean soup mix with the recipe, as their fall fundraiser.
they would all get together, mix up the beans, weigh them out and package them.
They have long ago switched to nuts as a fall fundraiser, but I saved the recipe for the soup....so when I buy a packet of mixed beans I can recreate the soup.
The recipe was to rinse the beans, and cover with water and soak for 3 to 5 hours, drain and rinse again, place in a pan and cover with water by 2 inches, and to add a ham bone if you have it, other wise cut up 2 slices of bacon and add that.
also add 1/4c up chopped onion, one can of stewed tomatoes and the juice of a lemon.
Cook until the beans are tender, salt and pepper to taste.
I think the secret ingredient was the lemon!
Their beans also contained both yellow and green split peas and red lentils
Linda c

I didn't count the varieties in this bag, but I have done so in the past, the beans used seems to differ depending on the brand. And yes, they always as many varieties as labeled. I did notice this bag had lentils in tan, green, gold and red... are lentils Beans??!

DH loves bean soup but refuses to eat it more than once or twice a year. It freezes very well, so I package into one-serving containers and then have some whenever *I* want.

Cook's recommends the soak be 3T salt dissolved into 4 qts water, for 8 hours or overnight (the brine tenderizes the potentially tough skins). IMO, that's too long and 4 hours is usually plenty, especially if there are a lot of lentils. Like Linda, I also add lemon juice but not until just before serving; the acidity doesn't add its own flavor but seems to brighten the blend.

Westgardener, your cooking situation sounds a bit like mine. I could eat seafood, vegetables and beans almost every day, but I'm married to someone who would almost always prefer fried chicken and potatoes. Even beans are iffy--if it's traditional chili or black beans, he'll eat it. If it's white beans, or lentils, or something else he can't quite picture, he's very reluctant and likely won't even try it. I love bean soups, though I seldom buy pork products. Smoked turkey necks (or other parts) work fairly well as a substitute. Thanks to lindac and meldy for the lemon and salt-soak tips.

It has cooled a bit here and there is a hint of fall in the air.
I fixed the Hurst"s 15 bean soup, the one Don linked and oh my, it is so good. I used smoked beef sausage, lol to please Hubby. He said the soup/stew looks scary. Glad to see it freezes well. Yum.

Interesting you brought this up, I have a bag of them in the fridge waiting to get used and it is overcast today after being hot for the last few weeks. Got my brain cranking.

I made some of this soup last week.
Baked a pone of cornbread to go with it.
I cooked my with ham hocks.

Don, I use the same beans you do.