Why Navy Bean Soup?

When fall colors start bursting across the Ohio River Valley and temperatures begin to drop, locals love to dine on a good, steaming, hot bowl of homemade navy bean soup and cornbread. The Navy Bean Fall Festival began in 1987 as a way to enjoy  the fall season on Rising Sun’s riverfront. In the beginning, the soup was cooked by local residents and served in one large pot. Over the years, the demand for the navy bean soup has grown so the soup is now cooked in two large steam cookers. The festival grew from a one day celebration to a two day celebration. Festival rides, vendor booths, festival foods, a variety of entertainment, a queen pageant and an expanded parade were added over the years. Locals and visitors love to gather in Rising Sun on the second weekend in October to enjoy the fall colors of the Ohio River Valley. Come enjoy Autumn like never before with a little Rising Sun style navy bean soup and cornbread on the banks of the Ohio River!

Navy Bean Fall Festival

Soup Recipe

240 lbs. Dry Navy Beans
60 lbs. large white onions, chopped (expect to cry while chopping!)
30 lbs. baby carrots, chopped
30 stalks of celery, chopped
3 Boxes of Salt
3 large bottles of Lowry Regular seasoned salt
3 large tins of Black Pepper
3 large bottles of Garlic Powder
1 large bottle of Liquid Smoke
12 Smoked Picnic Hams 10-15 lbs. each, cubed
135 gallons of water

Divide ingredients into 3 batches. Cook each batch separately in a 60 gallon steam cooker.

Add water to steam cooker and bring to boil. Add beans and seasonings and cook until beans are almost tender. Stir occasionally to bring beans up from the bottom of the cooker. Add vegetables, ham and cook until beans are done and vegetables are tender. Add liquid smoke and additional seasonings to taste. (Cooking time: approximately 4 hours or more per batch).

Makes about 180 gallons of bean soup or 1,440 8oz. servings