1 pound dried navy or pea beans
6 cups water
1/4 pound salt pork
1 large onion -- chopped
1 large carrot -- peeled, chopped
4 sausage links -- scored
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crumbled thyme

Pick over beans and rinse under running water. Combine beans and water in a large kettle. Bring to a boiling; cover and cook 10 minutes.

Remove from heat; let stand 1 hour. Place beans and liquid in slow cooker, score salt pork, almost to rind; push down into beans; stir in onion, carrot, sausage links, bay leaf, salt, pepper and thyme; cover.

Cook on LOW for 8 hours. Stir beans; turn heat control to HIGH and cook for 4 hours. Stir beans with a wooden spoon and mash some of them against the side of the cooker to thicken soup. Taste beans; season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.

This recipe yields 8 servings.