Great Northern beans with ham, slow cooked!

My fast, yet slow method of cooking up a batch of Great Northern beans with ham required the following eight basic steps;

1) Measure out a cup of beans (about 233 grams).
2) Sort through beans and remove any foreign matter.
3) Rinse the beans, then place in cold water over high heat. Bring to a boil.
4) Boil for about a minute. Remove them from heat.
5) Place beans into a strainer and rinse.
6) Add beans to a 2 quart slow cooker and cover with about an inch of cold fresh water.
7) Add 1 cup chopped cured ham.
8) Set the cooker on Hi and cook for about 4 hours*. Test the beans for doneness after three hours.

After the beans have been cooked, add a little salt for taste and then serve! I often like to combine the beans over white rice, along with the chopped ham.

 This is a very nice little high carbohydrate meal-a-deal that can work for dieters, just as long as you keep the proportions within reason. For those not on a diet, it's filling and very cheap to make for anyone on a fixed income. Serves 6-8.

Notes on Great Northern beans: Great northern beans are a low-calorie, low-fat, cholesterol-free source of iron, dietary fiber, protein, and potassium. Eating beans like great northern beans regularly can reduce the risk of many potentially serious medical conditions (According to the Harvard School of Public Health).

* Slow cookers vary in the amount of heat they generate and that along with the age of the beans can affect total cooking times.