Food Prep - Split Pea Soup - Part 2

Today we make the soup, and hopefully get some canned tonight :)

Waking up the Peas

This part might sound crazy to some people...but...it is always a good idea to say good morning to your peas. Talk to them, give them some encouragement. Remember, peas are shy...

My grandmother used to wake me up on pea soup day and ask me to wake up the peas...she said the soup always came out better when I talked to them. So I would, "Good morning little peas, did you sleep good? You are such a pretty green, and will make a very yummy soup..."
I know, crazy, right? But I have made pea soup in homes where people are like, "Whatever, they are peas, and cannot hear you." and sure enough the soup came out funky and then fermented in a day and a half in the fridge.

So it was years after I started talking to the peas, that Emoto came out with his research on thought effects on the water crystals...and yeah, everything about split pea soup has to do with water.
In our family we talk with everything, because inanimate is not always what it seems.

Anyways, you can talk to your peas, or not...it is just our way ;)

After 24 hours, the peas will be double in size because they have soaked up all the water.

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aren't they pretty? :)

First we will cut up 3 carrots per pound of dried peas...so I am using 6, and I cut them fairly small so they will cook down into the soup...

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...and 1 1/2 stalks of celery...so I am using 3

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Then remove the bone and fat from the broth (if you have dogs they love these), put the broth in a soup pot, with the veggies, and add a good amount of water.

I put this on a med high heat to boil for a while, until the veggies get soft, and some water boils off. We need to reduce it enough to add the peas in...the reducing is important, as it creates the broth. If you add in the peas with the raw veggies the peas will not cook down correctly. (personally, I think it is because the carrots and celery are watching...but science says something about enzymes)

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Once the veggies are soft, and the broth reduced...

Rinse the peas once more (I just use a little mesh strainer) and then pour them into the pot...

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LOOK, now these are happy peas :) We could start a garden with them...

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Peas will sink in the pot and they are super starchy, so once they are added, I will stir it every 15 minutes or so until the soup is done. Burnt peas taste terrible...

I also keep a spoon and cup nearby, and skim off the starch foam before I stir...

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I bring the soup to a low boil and keep it there until the peas begin to break down...

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At this point I add in the pork, and 1/2 t each of salt and pepper. This was Not a salted pork, so I do need to add a little bit.

Bring it to a low boil again, until the peas start really breaking down and the soup begins to thicken some. The carrots will still be floating, but they will blend in as the soup thickens.

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Now turn the heat down to close to low until the soup is nice and thick. Keep stirring every 15 minutes...and put a tilted lid on it so it can reduce some. It still has a couple more hours to go...

My soup still has another hour to go, but I am running out of daylight...so this is what it looks like Almost done. It is still very hot of course, and with the bone broth it will thicken alot as it cools. It is best to re-heat in a double boiler if you put some in the fridge, or can it.

But the only differences between this photo and the finished soup, is it will get smoother, and the carrots will cook in a bit more.

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