I confess that soup is one of the main things I put up in the pantry. It is a quick lunch item as well as a great way to have a quick meal on hand for unexpected guests. To that end, a lot of what I do is jars of mixed vegetables* as well as jars of chicken stock, with or without meat. Combining a jar of each makes a large pot of truly delicious soup.
Even more convenient is just canning all the ingredients together for some real homemade ‘fast food'! You can replicate your favorite soups, as long as any milk or cream, pasta or rice, or thickening agents are added only after you have opened the jar and are preparing the meal. The technique is different in that the jars should only be filled halfway with the vegetable mixture. The rest of the jar is filled with the hot liquid leaving 1-inch headspace.
In either case, if additional ingredients such as noodles or rice, barley or other grains or thickening such as flour is desired, the soup should be canned as described and those additions made when the jar is opened for serving. In this way, for instance, you can take a jar of plain tomato sauce, add it to a roux of butter and flour for tomato soup, then add chopped fresh basil and milk or cream to make it even more delectable. Or heat a jar of chicken vegetable soup and add noodles when it comes to a boil.
If dried beans or peas are used, they must first be fully rehydrated (for each cup of dried beans or peas add 3 cups of water, boil 2 minutes, remove from heat and soak 1 hour, reheat to boiling, drain).
Procedure:
- Select, wash, and prepare vegetables, meat and seafoods as described for the specific foods in their own canning instructions.
- Cover meat with water and cook until tender. Cool meat and remove bones.
- Cook vegetables as for a hot pack. Clean, slice or chop, then bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes.
- For each cup of dried beans or peas, add 3 cups of water, boil 2 minutes, remove from heat, soak 1 hour, and heat to boil; drain.
- Combine all the prepared ingredients and heat together with hot water, broth or tomatoes, to boiling, and boil for 5 minutes. If desired, salt, pepper, and other herbs or spices can be added to taste. Do not fully cook the soup before filling jars; the canning process completes the cooking at the same time it eliminates harmful microorganisms.
- Fill jars halfway with solid mixture. Add remaining liquid, leaving 1-inch headspace.
To process: (Pressure Canner ONLY) In a weighted-gauge canner use 10lb up to 1000' elevation. Over 1000' use 15lb. For a dial gauge canner, process at 11lb PSI up to 2000' elevation and add 1lb pressure for each additional 2000' (12lb for 2000' to 4000', 13lb for 4000' to 6000', and so on...) For either style of canner pints takes 1 hour, quarts 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Freezing: Should you want to make and preserve pureed or cream soups, consider freezing them. Make your soup with q bit less liquid if possible, to make it more concentrated, and omit potatoes from the recipe. Cool your soup, place in freezer-safe containers, leaving headspace for expansion and freeze. Be sure to label and date all containers. Soup should keep 4 to 6 months in the freezer with no problem.
*Canning Mixed Vegetables: Chop, slice, or dice vegetables except leafy greens, dried beans, cream-style corn, winter squash, sweet potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, or cabbage. Combine in a large pot with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and boil 5 minutes. Place vegetables and liquid in clean, hot jars leaving 1” headspace, add ½ to 1 teaspoon salt to each jar if desired. Add lids and rings and tighten. Process as for soup with the timing at 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts.
Questions about the Master Food Preserver Program, food preservation or demo? Contact the Humboldt County Cooperative Extension Office at: 5630 S. Broadway, Eureka, CA 95503, Phone: 707) 445-7351, or online (link).
References:
- NCHFP website - https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_04/soups.html.
- So Easy To Preserve Book - https://setp.uga.edu/
Image Credits:
- Bowl of Vegetable Soup Kevin from Pixabay">Image by Kevin from Pixabay
- Harvested Vegetables Image by dbreen from Pixabay
- Home Canned Soup and Pressure Canner Images by Dottie Simmons
