I have a batch of red kidney beans simmering, and after they're soft I'll add the rest of the ingredients, most pulled from the freezer. A large ham hock, a 1lb chub of Jimmy Dean sausage (I prefer Italian sausage, but this works out also), bags of chopped onions and green and hot peppers. So far the only fresh item is a bay leaf from my tree in the yard and I have a large garlic from last spring's harvest. There are also some home-canned tomatoes that are on the elderly side but still okay for a dish like this. I put the finished beans into 12oz jar portions that go into the freezer. The seasoning that goes in with the sauteed onions and peppers will be salt, ground black pepper (from my large brass Turkish pepper mill), a large dollop of ground cumin, oregano (fresh from the yard), chili pepper, and at the end I'll crush in a handful of the frozen cilantro (grown here in the yard, sealed in a bag with the air pressed out and frozen) and a healthy dollop of capers. You put those in when cooking is finished and turn the heat off a couple of minutes later.