Real Food Recipes - Split Pea Soup

1 lb. split green peas
filtered water to cover peas
2 ham hocks (from pig raised without antibiotics or hormones and also without nitrates or nitrites)
2 carrots, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 qts. chicken bone stock (get recipe here)
1 bay leaf
1 T. fresh thyme leaves or 1 t. dried thyme

Directions: Cover peas with filtered water and let stand in a warm place (inside oven with the light on) for 7 hours or overnight. Rinse the ham hocks and place in a stockpot of Dutch oven along with the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook for 2-3 hours or until meat is tender and separates from bone easily. Remove bay leaf and ham hocks from soup. When ham is cool, remove from bone, cut into bite-sized pieces and return to the pot. Makes 4-6 servings.