Split Pea Soup 

The first time I decided to offer split pea soup to my children I was worried how they would respond. My only childhood memory of split pea soup is from a visit to an old woman’s home. Although we were not related, my mother referred to her as Grandma Brown. Grandma Brown had apparently agreed to watch me while my mother ran a few errands. My older brother was in school (1^st grade) and my younger sister was still on the hip, so to speak. I must have been about four years old.

For lunch "Grandma" served a thick grainy green soup with soda crackers which were buttered. To add insult to injury Grandma Brown made me take a nap! I have been traumatized ever since.

As a young mother I was attracted to the nutrition and ease of pea soup and decided to try it on my own children. To my surprise they loved it, and so did I! Go figure. It has become a favorite with the whole family.

Add a thick slice of homemade bread with butter and you have a definite winner.

To make Split Pea Soup 12 times in one year you will need:

1 1/2 Cups Oil

12 Cups Chopped Onion, or equivalent dehydrated

6 Cups chopped celery, or equivalent dehydrated

24 Cloves Garlic, or 6 tsp garlic powder

6 tsp marjoram

12 lbs Dried split peas

*96 Cups Liquid

24 Cups carrots, sliced or chopped, or equivalent dehydrated

12 Cups potatoes, diced, or equivalent deyhdrated

12 Pints canned Ham, or 24 meaty ham hocks

12 - 18 tsp Salt

6 - 12 tsp Pepper

24 Bay leaves

* You have a choice on liquid. Of course the more stock you use the more flavor your soup will have. You can use chicken, ham, or vegetable stock. Since I can my own ham and I have the stock created by the process. It is like liquid gold and that is what I use. The ham stock is very rich so I add water to thin it out. I taste the finished broth to determine if I need to add any chicken bouillon which is very easily kept on the shelf.

Split Pea Soup Recipe

Makes 6 to 8 Servings

2 Tbsp oil

1 Cup Chopped onion

1/2 cup celery, chopped

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

1/2 tsp marjoram

1lb Dried split peas

8 Cups Liquid

2 Cups Carrots

1 Cup Potatoes

1 Pint canned ham, 2 ham hocks, or 1 lb cooked ham cubed

2 Bay Leaves

1-1/2 tsp Salt

½ - 1 tsp Pepper

In a large sauce pan, saute onions, celery, and garlic in oil until the vegetables begin to tenderize. Add Liquid, split peas, meat, marjoram, pepper, and bay leaves. Bring the pot to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. If using hocks remove them from the pot and coarsely chop the meat, discard the bones. Return the meat to the pan and add the carrots and potatoes. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

Serve hot with warm homemade bread.