Home Canned Turkey Soup

[These ingredients are approximate; you can also add other vegetables if you want, such as green beans, corn; rice and noodles are not the best for canning purposes, you can add them when reheating the soup].

Make sure your jars and lids are close by and ready to be scalded when the soup is ready to can.

about 25- 30 lbs. turkey (I usually get 2 turkeys free at Thanksgiving when I purchase other food at the market)
2 lbs. carrots, peeled, sliced
2 large onions, chopped
10 lbs. potatoes, peeled, cut into med-small chunks
3 bunches celery, sliced

Put the thawed turkeys into two large pressure canners (I have one and I borrow one). SEE THE CANNER BOOKLET FOR COOKING INSTRUCTIONS--DO NOT FILL MORE THAN 2/3 FULL. Add a few bay leaves if you want, cut up cloves of garlic, chunked onions, and water up to the "fill" line (this will make the best broth!).

Pressure cook the turkeys 60 minutes at 15 pounds pressure. Let the canner cool on it's own.

Remove the meat from the canner and de-bone. Cut into the size pieces you want.

Pour broth through a strainer into another large pot or soup kettle. Clean out the canners.

[At this point, everything can be cooled down and the canning can be done the next day].

As you heat the broth, chop the vegetables. Add any seasonings you want, just be careful as some herbs turn bitter during the canning process. I usually just add pepper (I add salt when I reheat the soup). In the mean time--start heating the water in your canners.

Add the vegetables to the broth and simmer 5 minutes.

Scald jars and lids.

Put meat and vegetables into the jars, fill with broth up to the "fill" line--there is a line on the jar just below the lowest lip, below where the ring will go--just under an inch of headspace.

Wipe the jars thoroughly to remove any turkey fat. Add lids and rings. Put into the pressure canners and follow the canning booklet instructions.

Pressure can the turkey soup for 90 minutes at 10 pounds pressure.

This last batch of turkey soup made 28 quarts of soup, plus 2 gallons more of broth! This recipe can be halved or divided into fourths (use a chicken instead of a turkey!).


[I apologize, I don't remember where online I got this recipe, otherwise I would give the reference. If I remember it, I will put it here].

50 Things to Make With A Jar Of Pasta Sauce

Spaghetti and pasta sauce comes in many flavors and is a real comfort food. But, you can only eat so much spaghetti. If you have a couple of dozen jars of spaghetti/pasta sauce in your food storage, there are many more recipes using that sauce that will give you the versatility you want. You can go to the Food Network where they have a list of 50 recipes, each using spaghetti/pasta sauce--surely you will find several that your family would like!

Comfort Foods---Tomato Soup

I was visiting the Self-Reliant Sisters blog and saw this recipe for Easy Tomato Soup that sounded really good--besides being very quick and easy--and would be especially comforting on chilly winter nights. I have not tried this soup yet, but I will!

Easy Tomato Soup

3 jars tomato basil spaghetti/pasta sauce
1 quart whipping cream
2 (14-15 oz. cans) chicken broth

In a crockpot mix all ingredients together and cook on high for 2 hours or on low for 4 hours.

This recipe takes just about as much effort as to open a can of commercial tomato soup, but I would bet this recipe tastes better! Because of the whipping cream, this soup cannot be canned. Cream soups can be frozen, although the cream might separate when it is reheated. If that occurs, the soup can be wisked or blendered, to remix.

[Picture is not of the recipe listed].

Home Remedy---Coughing

I am getting over a cold and last night as I was talking to my Mother on the phone, I got a tickle in my throat and I started coughing. I took a sip of water, but that didn't help. I took a bigger drink of water and even that didn't stop my coughing. My Mother said to put a little dab of salt on my tongue---it worked! I was amazed at how fast it worked! Give it a try some time and see if the salt helps quiet your cough!

Comfort Foods---Stew

Stew is an easy comfort food, one that can simmer on the stove or in the crockpot. I canned a few quarts of stew last summer and have enjoyed them this fall. Another "fast food" to have on hand! Just open the jar, heat, and thicken with a little flour or cornstarch and water. Add a homemade biscuit or hot bread and you have it made!

Comfort Foods---Turkey Soup

My son and I made Turkey Soup the two days following Thanksgiving. I had two turkeys just for this purpose (they were free with purchase of other food at the market). I ended up with 56 pints of the most wonderful soup! I have been down with a cold this week and have this soup to give me comfort as I work my way back to good health.

If anyone is interested in how this soup was made, just post a comment and I will share how we made it.

Comfort Foods

Because the weather is getting colder, and colds and flu are impacting our lives, our focus this month will be on comfort foods. One of the easiest kinds of comfort food is also a "fast-food"--home canned soups, stews and meals-in-a-jar. All you have to do is open the jar, pour the contents into a container, and either heat on the stove or in a microwave. Add crackers, biscuits, or a toasted grilled cheese sandwich for a very comforting and tasty meal. Here in California we are expecting several days of rain, starting this weekend. If you add working, holiday shopping, and kids in school, a nice hot bowl of homemade food at the end of the day will hit the spot.