Caribou Creek Country Bean Soup

Cooking Time
90 minutes
(with pre-soaked beans)

Serving Size
10 cups

Kettle Size
4 quarts

Ingredients

Navy beans, herbs and spices, dehydrated carrots, chicken base

Great Ideas for Dressing up your Caribou Creek Country Bean

Add

Sausage
Bacon
Ham
Kielbasa
Chopped or stewed tomatoes
Your favorite chopped vegetables

Top with

Parmesan cheese
Chives
Bacon bits
Sour cream

Reduce sodium by limiting the amount of beef base (brown packet) used.

Vegetarian

Leave out the chicken base flavoring (yellow spice package)
needs no other flavor

Tid Bits of History - Caribou Creek

The waters of Caribou Creek wandered though what was to become the town of Kittitas, Washington. The Native Americans gathered a harvest of Kause, a breadroot; pleuma, a potato like tuber and Camas root, their staple food. Wild game and fish were abundant. There was ample forge for "Kussin nan" the Indian ponies that grazed by the thousands.

Located on what is presently the town of Kittitas, two villages stood, both named Tc'ila'xan. Translation of Tc'ila'xan is "Standing by the side of your arm " - meaning the villages were not far apart. In the spring as Chinook winds melted the snow, one Indian village on the bank of the Caribou prepared for many visitors. The longhouse was readied for ceremonies at Che-lo-an on the creek. The warriors of the different tribes held council and engaged in sports of all kinds, gambling dancing and horse racing. It was a grand affair with singing, the barking of dogs, the neighing of horses, the noise of drums and dancing produced a medley of sounds that not many settlers had been privileged to hear. The banks of this creek now border some of the richest lands in the Kittitas Valley, producing rich timothy hay and a variety of other crops.

Approximately eighteen miles west of Kittitas, on I-90 ext. 101, is the town of Thorp - home to Rill's Speciality Foods.

Legume Hints & Nutrition

The USDA recommends that adults eat three cups of beans or legumes per week for the maximum health benefit. Legumes are naturally low in total fat, contain no saturated fat or cholesterol, and are an excellent source of protein, calcium, iron, folic acid, and potassium. Beans should always be sorted, cleaned and washed to remove any small rocks, etc.