Ham and Bean Soup

Place the ham bone with ham still attached into a large pot. Pour 4 cups of dried white beans into the pot. Fill the pot full of water and get that pot to the stove top. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer with the lid on, but placed at a slant allowing steam to escape. Let the beans and ham simmer for about 3 hours, or until the beans are tender. Once the beans are cooked through, remove the ham and ham bone from the pot and put it on a plate. Pull the ham away from the bone and fat and shred it with two forks. Put the shredded ham back in the soup pot and toss the bone and fat in the trash. Chop up one onion, 1 cup carrots and 1/2 cup celery. Add the veggies to the pot along with 4 more cups of water, 1 t garlic, 9 bullion cubes, 1 T sugar, 1/2 t rosemary and 2 T butter. Bring the soup to a boil and let the veggies cook until tender. Should only take about 10 minutes.Taste the soup and add a bit of salt and pepper to taste. If the soup is too thick for your liking add a bit more water. Enjoy!