Old Fashioned Bean Soup

From a recipe clipping from a Cincinnati newspaper.

• 10 cups water
• 1 pount navy beans
• 1 ham bone
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup ketchup

Wash and sort beans. In a large pot, bring water to a boil; add beans and boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand overnight. Add ham bone (or ham hocks) and the next 6 ingredients.

Cover; simmer 2 1/2-3 hours or until beans are tender. Remove bay leaf and ham bone or hocks from soup; cut meat from bones and return meat to soup. Stir in ketchup and heat to blend flavors.

Serves 10.