Baba Peggy's Special Bean and Barley Soup

You can make this delicious hot soup and then freeze the leftovers for more hearty and economical meals. My Baba (grandmother) Peggy from Winnipeg made 50 gallons of this soup for Hadassah Bazaar events. - it sold out every year.

15 cups water
1 and 1/2 cups green split peas
1/2 cup navy or lima beans
1 onion diced
1/2 cup pearl barley
3 carrots, diced
2 handfuls celery and leaves
4 tbsp chicken base and/or shank bone
3 tbsp vegetable margarine
1/2 cup buckshot (acini di pepe)

To taste:
Salt
Pepper
Pinch of sugar
Parsley
Dill