To make the soup mix, combine the beans and place in a plastic bag. In some craft shops and cook shops, you can find bags that are ideal for this, although we like to use an attractive storage jar and layer the beans so that the jar looks nice and attractive.

Place the spices in a small plastic bag, very small Ziploc bags can also be found in craft and cookware shops.

Include the following recipe, we find it best to put it on a nice card.

Calico Bean Soup

1, Package of beans

1, Packet of spices

1 Hambone, ham hock, or 250 grams of ham, see notes

1? litres of water

1 large onion, chopped

2 x 400 gram cans of tomatoes, chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt to taste

Wash the beans thoroughly, Place in a large soup pan, cover with water and soak overnight. (An alternate method is to bring the beans and water to a boil remove from the heat, and cover and let stand for 1 hour.)

Next, drain the beans and add 1? litres of water and the ham or ham hock.

Simmer slowly for 2? to 3 hours. Then add the spice packet, onion, tomatoes (inc. juice), and lemon juice and salt to taste (the spice packet contains no salt).

Simmer for another 30 minutes or until the beans are tender.

Take the ham from the soup, remove any bits of ham from the bone, and return to the soup.

If using boneless ham, cut into bite-size pieces and return to the soup. Serve and Enjoy