Vegetable & Beef Soup (with Barley)

I hope you made the beef broth!  Here's my number one recipe using the beef broth.  This is my son's favorite soup and he usually requests it for his birthday dinner each year.  This year was no exception.  This is also my favorite soup.  It is my mother's recipe, just making it puts a smile on my face.  Eating it makes me feel very special and loved.  This is my favorite comfort food.  One more thing... this is best eaten with a large slice of authentic, crusty, German Rye Bread, heavily buttered. :)

Vegetable and Beef Soup

1 to 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen yellow corn (kernels cut from cob if fresh)
1 cup fresh or frozen cut okra
2-4 carrots sliced
1/2 pound of haricot verts or frozen green beans
1 cup pearled barley
8 cups tomato juice
8 cups beef broth
beef pieces (from shanks that were used to make broth)

Put everthing in a large pot and bring to a boil.  Turn down to simmer and let cook for half hour to an hour until barley is fully cooked (it will expand and thicken soup).  Season with pepper and kosher salt (if needed --you may not need any salt because there is plenty in the tomato juice!).  Enjoy!