New England White Bean Soup

I made this recipe over thirty years ago
and it's still one of my all time favorites.
To me it's a comfort food on a cold winter day.
You can cheat with canned beans,rinse them off first.

Ingridients:
1 lb navy beans, dry
1 each ham bone or hock, smoked
2 tablespoon parsley, fresh, chopped
1 cup onion, finely chopped
1 each garlic clove, minced
2 cup celery, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
Cover beans with water in pot and soak overnight.
Rinse beans well and return to pot with
ham bone and 3 quarts of water.
Simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours.
Add parsley, onions, garlic, celery
and tops, salt and pepper. Simmer,
uncovered, for 1 hour or until
vegetables are tender. Remove ham bone,
dice the meat, and add meat to soup. Serve hot.