Canning 101 - Fresh Vegetable Soup

Scott and I have decided to start a tradition!

With winter coming up soon, that means no more farmers market..... (NOOOO!) I know! That's what I'm sayin!  What are we going to do?!?  Well we decided to do a little canning to preserve all of those great fresh non processed local vegetables! :)  Scott's sister, Tracy, was nice enough to teach Scott how to can this AMAZING soup last year so we decided to give it a try ourselves! :)  

We ordered all of our stuff like a pressure cooker, victorio 250 food mill, and all the other canning stuff, BUT believe it or not it didn't come in in time! :(  So sweet Tracy saved the day! She let us borrow all of her stuff so we could finish our project over the weekend! (THANKS TRACY!)

And we couldn’t think of a better weekend to Can than General Conference weekend! J  

Scott and I really loved hearing conference in the background while we put up food for the winter.  It just gave our home a wonderful spirit.  While we were working we could hear the words from our leaders, and to be honest it was actually a lot easier to listen intently for 2 hours. We all know how hard it can be at times to focus for 2 hours.  It's sad to say, but its true.  When you are in the kitchen cutting and dicing its so easy to let you mind be filled with the words.  It was such a great weekend!  Hooray to our new tradition! I can't wait to see what we can come the first week in April!

So for those out there who would like to Can, here is a simple and great recipe to put up some great food for the winter or to just have good healthy food on the shelf with no preservatives! Beware, its very simple but time consuming! :)

------------------------------------------------------------

Fresh Vegetable Soup

Canning Equipment:

* Victoria 250 Food Mill

* 23 Qt. Pressure Cooker

* Mason Jar Funnel

* Magnetic Lid Tool
* Jar tong lifter

* 20 quart stock pot

* 20- Pint Mason Jars (with rings and NEW lids) – This recipe makes 20 jars (feel free to double it as much as you would like. We made 60 jars!)

Soup Ingredients:

* 15lbs of Tomatoes (3/4 box)- when you go to your local tomato stand ask for the overly ripe ones.  They are a lot cheaper.  We got our whole box for only $4.00!

* 1- 2lbs bag of carrots

* 1 bag of Celery
* 9 ears of corn (cut off the cob) - we used 12 because we LOVE CORN! 
* 1-1lbs bag of  dry butter beans ( or 2lbs of frozen)

* 1- 5lbs bag of red potatoes

* 3 onions

* 2 packages of Rosemary – Add to taste.

* Coarse salt and ground pepper (to taste)

Directions

1. Soak your butter beans 8 hours in water. (Or just  buy frozen beans if you do not want the dry beans.)
2. Boil your butter beans for 1 - 1 1/2 on medium heat. 
3. Run your jars, lids, and rings through the dishwasher. 
4. Once butter beans are done put them in your large stock pot. 

5. Cut up your carrots, celery, red potatoes, onions and put in the same stock pot.
6. Shuck your corn and cut the corn off the cob.  Put in same stock pot. 

7. Mince your rosemary and add in same stock pot.

8. Run tomatoes through Victoria 250 Food Mill, and put in same stock pot.  The mill will get all the juice out of the tomatoes while separating the seeds and skin.  Scott ran the skin and seeds through a second time and got more juice!

9. Bring soup to a boil.

10. Add Salt and Pepper to taste. 

11. Add in about 3 liters of water to the pressure cooked.  Bring to a boil.

12. While water is coming to a boil in the pressure cooker.  Bring the lids to a boil.  Make sure seal is placed downward.  Once they are boiling take them off the heat and let them sit in the hot water.  Do not let them boil for a while or the seal will break. (DO NOT TOUCH THEM AGAIN!)

13. Fill mason jars with hot water. (The jars will crack if you add hot soup to cold jars)

14. Once pressure cooker is boiling it is finally time to can!  2 people is GREAT here!  Take your jars (prefilled with water) and pour out the water and pour in the soup! Wipe off any spillage from the lip.  Take your nifty magnetic tool and use it to grab your lids out of the hot water and place on your jar.  Screw on the ring, and place in Pressure Cooker. 

15. Repeat step 14 until all jars are in the pressure cooker.  Our pressure cooker held 20 jars at a time.  10 on the bottom and 10 on the top.  Try to place the top jars in between the bottom jars so they do not sit right on top of each jars seal. 

16.  Once jars are in the pressure cooker, place JUST THE LID without the pressure cap on pressure cooker. There is a little plug that will pop up and cause the steam to exit out of a small valve. Once this happens, let the steam vent for 10 minutes.

17.After letting the steam vent for 10 minutes it's now time to put the pressure cap on pressure cooker.  This is where you need to watch your pot A LOT.  Scott and I set our timer for every 5 minutes.  Once you place the cap on the pressure cooker the pressure needs to rise to 10.  Do not let the temperate drop below 10 or go above 15.  If it goes below 10 it will not seal.  If it goes above 15 then some of the soup tends to boil out.  So you may ask… How do I keep it from going under or over?  Well you change the temperate on your range.  If it is getting close to 15 then you need to turn the heat down on your burner and so forth with the temperature going the other way.  
18.  20 jars need to boil for 55 minutes. 
19. After 55 minutes take the pressure cooker off the heat and let the temperate drop to 0.  
20. Once it has hit 0 take the top off the pressure cooker and open it up and let sit for another 10 minutes. 
21.  After it has sat for 10 minutes with the lid off you are now safe to remove the jars.  If you have nifty jar tongs those would be great to use here.  Make sure to put your jars on a warm surface or a towel.  Do not put jars on a cold surface. 
22. Within a couple of minutes you will here a POP!  The jars are sealing!  
23 CELEBRATE! Yay!! you're an official Canner!

------------------------------------------------------------

For those visual learners: 

 What you will need!

1. Soak your butter beans 8 hours in water. (Or just  buy frozen beans if you do not want the dry beans.)

2. Boil your butter beans for 1 - 1 1/2 on medium heat. 

3. Run your jars, lids, and rings through the dishwasher. 

Don't forget to get some great background music/ show going on! 

4. Once butter beans are done put them in your large stock pot. 

5. Cut up your carrots, celery, red potatoes, onions and put in the same stock pot.

6. Shuck your corn and cut the corn off the cob.  Put in same stock pot. 

Watch your back because you never know what the little ones are getting into!

7. Mince your rosemary and add in same stock pot.

8. Grab your box of Tomatoes

 Wash your tomatoes in cold water

 Cut the tomatoes before you put them in your Mill. 

 It makes less mess when you add just a few at a time. 

 My handsome husband gettin the job done! :)

8. Run tomatoes through Victoria 250 Food Mill, and put in same stock pot.  The mill will get all the juice out of the tomatoes while separating the seeds and skin.  Scott ran the skin and seeds through a second time and got more juice!

9. Once everything is in the stock pot bring it to a boil. 
10. Add in salt and pepper to taste.

 While your soup is coming to a boil - get your station set up.  

11. Add in about 3 liters of water to the pressure cooked.  Bring to a boil.

 

12. While water is coming to a boil in the pressure cooker.  Bring the lids to a boil.  Make sure seal is placed downward.  Once they are boiling take them off the heat and let them sit in the hot water.  Do not let them boil for a while or the seal will break. (DO NOT TOUCH THEM AGAIN!)

13. Fill mason jars with hot water. (The jars will crack if you add hot soup to cold jars)

14. Once pressure cooker is boiling it is finally time to can!  2 people is GREAT here!  Take your jars (prefilled with water) and pour out the water and pour in the soup! Wipe off any spillage from the lip.  Take your nifty magnetic tool and use it to grab your lids out of the hot water and place on your jar.  Screw on the ring, and place in Pressure Cooker. 

15. Repeat step 14 until all jars are in the pressure cooker.  Our pressure cooker held 20 jars at a time.  

16.  Once jars are in the pressure cooker, place JUST THE LID without the pressure cap on pressure cooker. There is a little plug that will pop up and cause the steam to exit out of a small valve. Once this happens, let the steam vent for 10 minutes.

17.After letting the steam vent for 10 minutes it's now time to put the pressure cap on pressure cooker.  This is where you need to watch your pot A LOT.  Scott and I set our timer for every 5 minutes.  Once you place the cap on the pressure cooker the pressure needs to rise to 10.  Do not let the temperate drop below 10 or go above 15.  If it goes below 10 it will not seal.  If it goes above 15 then some of the soup tends to boil out.  So you may ask… How do I keep it from going under or over?  Well you change the temperate on your range.  If it is getting close to 15 then you need to turn the heat down on your burner and so forth with the temperature going the other way.  

18.  20 jars need to boil for 55 minutes. 

19. After 55 minutes take the pressure cooker off the heat and let the temperate drop to 0.  

20. Once it has hit 0 take the top off the pressure cooker and open it up and let sit for another 10 minutes. 

21.  After it has sat for 10 minutes with the lid off you are now safe to remove the jars.  If you have nifty jar tongs those would be great to use here.  Make sure to put your jars on a warm surface or a towel.  Do not put jars on a cold surface. 

22. Within minutes you will hear the jars POP!  They are sealing shut for you! 

Now CELEBRATE! -- Yay!! you're an official Canner!

This makes 20 jars! If you want to make 60 like us, repeat steps 1 - 21 two more times.  Or just boil and do everything at once, and save your soup for when the pressure cooker is done! You will need a LARGER stock pot of course.  

HAPPY CANNING!