Dad's Ham and bean soup

I make this whenever we have left over ham-it's great with corn bread!
(You can also get ham soup bones really cheap if you don't do whole bone in hams)

Take left over ham, bone, drippings and all (except fat) and place in a slow cooker or large pot and cover with water.  Add chopped carrots, celery, and onions, and cook on low until meat is coming off the bone. Remove bone and make sure meat is in small bite size pieces. Skim off any fat. Add beans. You can use any kind you like. I usually use a combo of white, pinto, red, kidney, black, whatever I have.  If I use canned beans I don't drain them first. Sometimes we add a can of diced tomatoes and/or corn for variety. It's usually plenty salty from the ham but add black pepper to taste. It can also be thickened a little with a couple of Tbs. of flour. Mix flour with water or broth first, then mix into soup and bring to boil for at least 1 minute.  Yummy, rich, and warming on a cold day.

-Debbie Cardon