Canning Vegetable Soup with Meat: A Delicious and Convenient Option
Canning vegetable soup with meat is a fantastic way to preserve the bounty of your garden and enjoy a hearty, homemade meal any time of year. It's a versatile dish that can be customized to your liking, and the process is surprisingly simple.
Why Can Vegetable Soup with Meat?
- Preserves Freshness: Lock in the flavor and nutrients of fresh vegetables and meats for months.
- Convenience: Enjoy a delicious, homemade meal without spending hours in the kitchen.
- Cost-Effective: Use up excess produce and save money on groceries.
- Customization: Experiment with different vegetables, meats, and spices to create your own unique soup.
Getting Started with Canning Vegetable Soup
Equipment:
- Pressure canner: Essential for safe canning of low-acid foods like vegetables and meat.
- Jars: Use wide-mouth canning jars with lids and bands.
- Jar lifter: For safely handling hot jars.
- Funnel: For transferring soup into jars.
- Ladle: For filling jars with soup.
- Magnetic lid lifter: For removing lids from boiling water.
- Water bath canner: Optional for canning high-acid foods like jams and pickles.
Ingredients:
- Meat: Choose a variety of meats like beef, chicken, or pork. You can use bone-in or boneless cuts, ground meat, or even sausage.
- Vegetables: The possibilities are endless! Popular choices include potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, green beans, tomatoes, corn, peas, and greens like spinach or kale.
- Broth: Use a flavorful broth like beef, chicken, or vegetable.
- Seasonings: Add spices like salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, or paprika.
Steps:
- Prepare the ingredients: Wash and chop your vegetables. Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces.
- Cook the soup: In a large pot or Dutch oven, brown the meat over medium heat. Add the vegetables, broth, and seasonings, and simmer until the vegetables are tender.
- Process the jars: Sterilize the jars and lids by boiling them for 10 minutes.
- Fill the jars: Carefully ladle the hot soup into the sterilized jars, leaving about 1 inch of headspace.
- Remove air bubbles: Use a clean spoon to remove air bubbles from the jars.
- Wipe the rims: Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean, damp cloth to remove any food residue.
- Seal the jars: Place the lids on the jars and tighten the bands.
- Process in a pressure canner: Follow the instructions for your pressure canner, ensuring the correct processing time for the altitude you live at.
- Cool the jars: Allow the jars to cool completely in the canner.
- Check the seals: After the jars have cooled, press down on the center of the lids. If they pop back up, the seal is not good, and you should re-can the soup.
Tips for Success:
- Use high-quality ingredients: Fresh, seasonal produce and quality meat will result in a tastier soup.
- Don't overcrowd the jars: Leave adequate headspace for proper processing and prevent spoilage.
- Follow the instructions: Always follow the instructions in your canning manual for safe and successful canning.
Enjoy Your Canned Soup!
Once your soup has cooled and the seals are checked, it's ready to enjoy! Store your canned soup in a cool, dark place for up to a year. When you're ready to eat, simply heat the soup on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Delicious and easy to prepare, canned vegetable soup with meat is a wonderful way to enjoy the flavors of fresh ingredients all year round.
