Put the ham bone and water in a large saucepan. Cover and heat to boilng. Reduce the heat to simmering and cook, covered, 45 minutes. Remove the ham bone from the saucepan. Remove the meat from the bone, finely shred it and return both meat and bone to the pan.
Step 2
Wash the butter beans and add them to the saucepan. Heat to simmering, stir in the remaining ingredients, and simmer until the beans and okra are tender, about 25 minutes (or less for canned beans). Discard the ham bone and serve the beans hot.
