For years I have wondered about canning more than just the veggies that abound from our garden. I mean,
if Campbell's can process soups and put them into convenient cans for consumers, then why can't I take the vegetables and meats that I get on sale and can them myself. My soups would be
free from preservatives, lacking the tons of un-needful sodium and perfected to the taste of my very own family. Mine could be tenderly made with love and could be
proudly displayed on a shelf in my kitchen as a reminder that I, indeed attempt to "look well to the ways of my household". :)
On a stressful or busy day, I could go to the shelf, pull off a jar of homemade goodness and serve it to my family without a shadow of guilt.
And so... I began to research my options. I found that meat can indeed be canned and
should be processed in a pressure canner for 90 mins at 10 pounds of pressure (if using quart jars).
I also found out that if you mix ingredients in canning, you should always process
with the longest recommended time for your ingredients. So, putting two and two together, if I want to can, say a Vegetable Beef Soup, all I need to do is put everything into my jars and process for 90 mins.
After spending a week with my family battling a bad cold, I made some homemade chicken noodle soup and boy does it work to make one feel better. I decided that Chicken Soup would be my first experiment.
I didn't add any noodles (knowing that they would turn to mush). It turned out beautifully! Now, if we need some homemade cold remedy, it's on the shelf. We just add a hand full of dry noodles to the boiling soup for about 10mins before we're ready to serve....and we have Yummy Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup that didn't have to cook on a stove all day but packed with lots of nutrition (without the additives that store bought would have).
Each week, I have been making a batch of "something" to put up for my family. I've been watching for meats to go on sale and have been able to really extend my overall savings by planning around what I find. To help in the prep work, I've used frozen veggies (also found on sale). In the longterm, this is really going to help our family. If we have a week that money is tight or we want to put a little extra in savings for something special, we won't have to rely on "beans and rice" because we already have a storehouse of a variety of nutritious meals.
Since that first attempt, I have canned Chicken Soup, Vegetable-Beef Soup, Chicken Gumbo, Spaghetti Sauce with Meat and Seasoned Pinto Beans. Yes! Beans, too! I had planned on making a pot for dinner and I simply made it the way I always do, but used a 3pd bag this time and canned it right along with my seasonings. Now, I have 7quarts on the shelf, ready to eat without the time and fuss.
The plan for now is to spend the time I have waiting for our garden to overflow with vegetables in filling my "meals in minutes" jars. What a great way to make use of those cold winter months...then when I want to spend the warm Spring and Summer days in the yard and garden (instead of in the kitchen) I already have dinner done! :)
