Grandma Simon'S Bean Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 clove garlic, chopped
2 lb. smoked, skinless ham hocks
1 (4-inch) onion, chopped fine and browned
2/3 c. chopped celery
2/3 c. carrot slices (1/4-inch thick)
1 bay leaf
2 1/2 qt. water
1/2 qt. tomato juice
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp. ground thyme
1/8 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
48 oz. jar precooked Randall Great Northern beans
1 tsp. beef bouillon granules
1/2 c. quick barley
1/2 c. sour cream
2 to 3 Tbsp. flour

Preparation

In most of these soup recipes \"stock or water\" appears on the list of ingredients.
You can get delicious soups using plain water as the vehicle, but vegetable stock lends a fuller, more vegetable-y flavor.
Stock-making is an old-fashioned approach to soup; it enriches the atmosphere of our modern, expedient kitchens.
Further, it makes good use of vegetable scraps which would otherwise be thrown away.