Split Pea and Ham Soup

1, 1 lb bag of dried split green peas (about 2 cups)
8 cups cold water
1 meaty ham bone
1/2 lb cooked ham, diced
3 - 4 sprigs fresh parsley
2 - 3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
3 - 4 whole black peppercorns
2 carrots, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper

Tie the parsley, thyme, bay leaf and peppercorns in a 12" square of clean cheesecloth and tie with cotton twine to make a bouquet garni.

In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, combine peas, water, ham bone, ham and bouquet garni. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally.

While soup is simmering, prep the vegetables, cutting all into 1/2" or slightly smaller dice. Set aside.

After one hour, stir in prepared vegetables and garlic, cover and cook for one hour more, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid during the last 10 minutes of simmering if desired to thicken the soup.

Remove the bouquet garni and ham bone, picking off as much ham as possible and return the meat to the pot of soup. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.

Note: you can also use one large or two small ham hocks in lieu of the ham bone and diced ham, or just increase the amount of diced ham to 3/4 pound.

Do not salt the soup until it is cooked. Odds are the ham will perfectly salt the soup and no additional salt will be necessary.