Canning

[hangin'witthepeeps]

Okay, I just don't have anyone else to ask. I have a freezer full of chicken. I want to make a chicken soup "base" and can it. So when I open a jar I can add cooked noodles, rice, barley, or potatoes. Other than carrots, onions and celery what else would you recommend?

Thanks, Melissa

 

[lesa]

First of all, do you have a pressure canner? Can't do it with a water bath... I just make broth and freeze it. Still ready to go, pretty quick and no time spent with the canning process...

 

[momofdrew]

sage, parsley,

 

[swampducks]

If you have a copy of the Ball Blue Book, I'm pretty sure it has a chicken broth section. If I can find mine I'll look it up. But you do have to use a pressure canner.

 

[Ridgerunner]

When I make chicken broth, I always use peppercorns, a Bay leaf, onion, carrots, and celery. Then I look around at what else I have. I practically always add basil, I have so much of it. Parsley, thyme, chives, and/or oregano often get added. My wife does not like garlic in it, but it is a "strong" possibility. I don't add salt, though some people might want to.

I use a large crock pot. I'll make up one batch and cook it on low overnight, take that out and cook another batch that day, then do another batch the next night. Then I can the following day. I usually get about 15 to 16 pints of broth, but of course that willl depend on your crock pot and how much water you add. And you can cook it in a stock pot on top of the stove if you wish. I'm sure there are other ways.

I pick the meat off the bones. A lot will have cooked off the bones and just be floating free. This cooked meat is great for soups, casseroles, tacos, lots of great things. Be careful though. You can get small bones pretty easily.

When I finish the first two batches, I strain it through a wire mesh strainer and put the liquid in the fridge after cooling it, usually by setting a metal pot of it in ice water. Most of the fat will congeal on top and can be scraped off. For the third batch, I use one of those fat separaters and use that to get out the fat. I also strain it through 4 to 6 layers of cheesecloth to get the chunks out. When I get those two batches out of the fridge and skim off what fat I can, I heat them up before running them through the fat separator. That fat floats to the top a lot faster if the liquid is warm.

Maybe more info than you wanted, but I really like that broth.

 

[hangin'witthepeeps]

I have a pressure canner. I've had it for a few months now and just got brave enough to test it out this weekend. I made bean and bacon soup and canned it up. Worked perfectly!!!

It's a presto model # 107800. It did not come with instructions but I found instructions for a model #107801, which I assume is similar. My friend found it at a yard sale for $5. I had to buy a new weight and gasket, but it was well worth it.

 

[lesa]

Perfect! They are a little intimidating- good for you, for giving it a try. Yes, I would follow the bluebook recipe pretty closely. Let us know how it turns out!

 

[ducks4you]

I inherited a small Presto and was given a large one, though I need to practice. DH suggested practicing by making mashed potatoes. I have 24 potatoes in the ground, one on the porch and I discovered 5 Yukon gold from 2011 in my basement that I forgot I had and they each have 8" sprouts--guess I'll use those in May when I harvest.
I understand that I will need to get a new seal and I think, I new gasket, and that these will need to be replaced about every year to keep the pressure.
Congrats on your pressure canning!! You know, canning just gets addictive, doesn't it?

 

[hoodat]

Five dollars for a canner like that is a fabulous bargain. My All American canner cost me an arm and a leg but it's top of the line and you don't have to bother with gaskets. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

 

[hangin'witthepeeps]

I want a chicken soup with vegetables that I can open up the jar and pour over cooked rice, potatoes, or noodles. I don't want to put potatoes or noodles in the jars because they can get real mushy. I've heard not to ever can rice. So just a basic soup that I can heat and serve.

I also plan on canning beef soup too, as soon as it goes on sale, lol. I'm already seen a steady rise in the price of beef which I believe is because of all the flooding and then drought in the south (Texas).

eta: Not that I'm an expert, just something I remember reading or hearing about the beef, but I would normally get chuck beef for $3 on sale. The sale price is now around $4.