Old Fashioned Split Pea Soup

Flickr Photo Credit: Keiichirou Shikano

This soup is hearty, rustic, and one of the cheapest soups to make I know about. Another bonus? It uses some of the “power vegetables” that I include in my survival produce list. (Basically ones that are affordable and last forever - cabbage, carrots, onions and potatoes for fresh ones, broccoli and spinach for frozen, and corn for canned. )

You’ll need: at least two cups of left over chopped ham, 3-5 peeled and coarsely chopped carrots, 1/2 a large onion chopped well, a 1-pound package of green split peas, water to cover over the whole mixture by an inch or so, 1-2 tbsp of chicken bouillon (or you can substitute homemade chicken stock for part of the water).

Throw all of this in a crock pot and cook on high for 5-8 hours (times will vary with different machines), or until the split peas break down into the broth so that it has a green puree consistency.