Irish Pea Soup

I am craving green things today. Anything green. I went to the greenhouse to breathe in all the green air I could get. I ended up bringing home the most beautiful Oxalis plant I have ever seen. I used to have several of these plants which I killed a long time ago. I haven't had one in several years, until today.

Green, green, green. I even want to eat green today, in honor of St. Patrick's Day.

I realize I am a few days early. But, I can't help myself.

Making your own Irish Pea Soup is easy. Here's the basic ingredients: a ham bone, chopped garlic, an onion,  2 stalks of celery, 2 carrots, a pound of dried split peas, and a few bay leaves.

I prefer to make my Irish Pea Soup in the crock pot, it's a great easy meal. Set the temperature on high.

Combine the split peas, the ham bone, 2 tsp. chopped garlic, the bay leaves, and the chopped onion. Then cover them with water.

Finely chop the celery and the carrots, add them to the pot.

You can add salt and pepper as well. I find that using the ham bone allows me to cut down on the salt quite a bit. Cover and cook 6-7 hours until peas are tender. Then remove the bone and discard before serving.

We love to serve our pea soup with oyster crackers.

Next thing you know you will be seeing green, and maybe even humming an Irish tune.

Designer Mom