Most people don’t need to be told to save the bone from a ham. I searched the freezers twice and dug around in the back of the fridge – no bone. My husband tried to convince me that I’d already used it in something, but I would have remembered that.

It really seemed odd to me that it could have disappeared. So I asked my son. Yep, he threw it out. I explained to him that one never ever throws out a ham bone.

Luckily while exploring the freezers, I found one from a few months ago. Thank goodness, because I had been dreaming about beautiful butter beans and they’re not the same without a ham bone.

I’m also thankful that I inadvertently disguised the ham broth in an old yogurt container, or that probably would have been thrown out too. Wonderfully on Sunday as the rain drizzled, I had the beans cooking on the stove.

Butter Beans
1 lb. dried large lima beans
6 cups ham stock and water
1 ham bone
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper, to taste

I sorted through the beans, covered them with water in a large pot and brought all to a boil. Then turned off the heat, covered with a lid and let soak for at least an hour. Strain the beans and rinse.

Return to the pot and add stock and enough water to equal 6 cups. Throw in the ham bone, garlic and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer.

Keep an eye on the pot so it doesn’t boil over, but otherwise in about 1 to 1-1/2 hours, they’ll be ready. Add pepper, but definitely taste before adding salt. The ham stock is usually salty and the beans may not need more.

Such a simple dinner was great served with toasted bread. I had made some sourdough so I toasted it and slathered it with compound butter. That’s butter whipped with herbs or other complimentary ingredients. The butter is great for melting over meats, vegetables or just smearing on bread.

The combinations are limited only to the imagination, but common versions are garlic and parsley, blue cheese and chives or brown sugar and chopped walnuts. I made sage and roasted garlic for Thanksgiving and still had some in the freezer.

Compound Butter
2 sticks unsalted butter, cubed
1-1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1Tbsp. sage, chopped
1 head garlic, roasted
1 pinch salt

In a food processor, combine olive oil, sage and garlic squeezed from the skins. Then add butter and whip until combined. Scoop onto waxed paper. Using a dough scraper, shape into a log, wrapping the waxed paper around it. Twist the ends and place in a freezer bag. Freeze the butter for later use.

Then as needed, slice off discs of butter. They are decorative and tasty. They also make great gifts for friends who love to cook.
Using leftover items (ham bone, stock and other kitchen staples) and store-bought beans, dinner for the three of us was $1.28. Sweet!