Vegetable Bean Soup

We had an excess of turnip greens at the house and in an effort to use them all before they went bad I decided to make some soup.  I'm glad I did, the recent storms that made their way though the southeast brought some cold weather with them.  There's few things better in this world than having a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of soup on a cold night.

Vegetable and Bean Soup:

4 strips of bacon, cut into inch long pieces (optional)
1 large onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 carrots, cubed
3 stalks of celery, chopped
5 cups turnip greens
2 large turnip roots, cubed
5 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 cans of diced tomatoes
2 cups black eyed peas
2 cups field peas (acre peas, pink eyed peas, etc)
1 cup pinto beans
1-2 cups black beans
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon rosemary, crushed or chopped
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon Old Bay

Wash your greens and remove the rib.  I wash mine at least 5 times.  Slice them into strips.

In a stock pot on medium heat add the bacon.  Let it cook until the bacon starts to render some fat in the bottom of the pot.  Add the onion and garlic, cook until onion is soft.  Add the celery, carrots, peas, turnip roots, and beans.  Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, turnip greens, and seasonings (salt, peppers, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, Old Bay).  Simmer for 60-70 minutes or until everything is tender.