Vegetable Barley Soup

This is Eduardo's recipe, it makes a large pot of soup.  This is also a good slow cooker recipe - instead of low heat on the stove top, use high setting on the slow cooker, and cook about the same amount of time.

12 cups soup stock
2 medium potatoes, cubed
5 carrots, sliced
5 celery sticks, sliced
4 cloves of garlic, whole
1/2 pound pearl barley, rinsed
2 onions, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound of white mushrooms, sliced
1 oz mixed dried mushrooms, diced
4 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 sprigs fresh thyme
dash of red pepper flakes
± 1 tablespoon salt

Add the soup stock to a large pot, along with the potatoes, carrots, celery, garlic and barley. Bring to a boil, turn to low heat and cook for about 2 hours. Saute onions in olive oil, add to the soup. Add all remaining ingredients except salt, and cook on low heat for 3 hours. Add salt to taste, cook about 30 minutes more, and serve.