1/4 cup of each of the following dry beans: pinto, navy, green split peas, pink,
and black-eyed peas, black, red kidney and lima.
1/2 C. pearl barley
1/4 C. dehydrated vegetable flakes
2 bay leaves
1 T. salt
2 t. dried thyme
1/2 t. garlic powder
Presentation:
Layer each of the dried beans in the jar one at a time, do not mix or shake. Put
all of the other ingredients in a sandwich bag and tie the bag closed with a
ribbon. Place the bag in the jar and cover. If you used a screw-top jar, you can
put a piece of material around the top and tie on with ribbon. If you used a
cork top, tie with ribbon around the outer edge of the jar. Copy the recipe onto
a recipe card; punch a hole in the corner, thread it through the ribbon and your
gift is done.
Soup Preparation:
Rinse and pick over the beans and peas. Put into a 2-3 quart heavy pot with 1
1/2 cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, remove from
heat, let soak for 1 hour. Drain the beans and add 4 cups of water, barley and
seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer covered for
approximately 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender but
firm. Uncover, increase the heat to medium low and boil gently, stirring
occasionally, for about 45-60 minutes, until thickened. Remove the bay leaves
and serve.
Note: The soup will be thick. Add more water if you would like a thinner
consistency.
