How to Pressure Can any Soup

I love to Pressure Can Soup. This is something that you need to know the right and wrong of. If you are not safe and do not use a pressure canner to make your soup to store long term it can make you very sick. Safety is the number one thing to keep in mind.

Here is an example lets talk Potato Soup. You must peel your potatoes. Why? The spores on potatoes hold the germs from the ground they were grown in and left on they are deadly.

A Few Facts:

• Soups must be Pressure Canned
• Do not add milk, cream, flour, rice, noodles or any type of thickeners. You can add anything you want once you open your pressure canned soup and warm it up.
• Partially cook your ingredients prior to pressure canning. This is an ongoing debate with pressure canning. I cook my potatoes, beans, peas, carrots etc. The reason for that is that when pressure canning something like potatoes raw when pressure canned they make cook uneven when in the pressure canner. 
• Make sure you check the time and pressure for the soup and size of jars you are caning.
• Put a tablespoon of vinegar into the pressure canner it will keep the hard water stain off the jars. 
• Here is the link to the NCHF National Center for Home Food Preservation

Here is a list of the soups I have made and pressure canned. It is easy and who does not want soup on a cool winter day.

Beef Stock 

Cabbage Soup 
Chicken Stock
Chicken in Chicken Stock  

Potato Soup 
Vegetable Soup
Split Pea Soup

Don't be scared be safe. If you follow all the rules you will make some delicious soup for your Winter pantry. It took me a few years to get the butterflies out of me and to feel secure with the pressure canning process. Once i got over my fears it was and has been a great trip. 

There are many websites and plenty of book that give you recipes and tips and tricks on the how to of pressure cooking. 

Soaking and Cleaning Dried Beans

Beans what a great vegetable to have in your pantry. Once you have cooked and canned your own you will just not buy store bought anymore. It is an easy process but like all thing's it takes time. 

Cleaning your dried beans is a MUST. No matter if you are going to cook and eat the same day or use them to pressure can and then store in the pantry. I have a great variety of beans in my pantry and will link you to my recipes and instructions at the end of this post. 

Alright let's clean some beans. The first thing you need to do is rinse your dried beans. Put them into a colander and run cold water through them use your hands to turn the beans so all sides get cleaned. Organic or not the soil they grow in is naturally dirty  

Clean beans covered with a 1" of cold water

Once rinsed and clean put them in a bowl large enough to hold your beans and give them at least 3 inches of head space. You will see why soon. Now fill the bowl with water until the water is about one inch over the top of your beans.

Let your beans sit overnight.

Watch the beans they are thirsty and soak the water up so start your soaking a couple of

hours prior to bedtime. You will be adding more water till they are not thirsty anymore.

Did you sleep well because now it is time to rinse the beans. Put your beans in a colander and rinse with cool water use your hands and make sure they get turned and cleaned all the way around.

Rinsed beans

Did you know that this little step does more than clean your beans. Yup it makes you fart less.

Rinse and cleaning your beans makes minimize gas

Here is a Quote

"We can minimize the production of gas by breaking down the fiber in beans before eating,

by mashing or grinding, as in Refried Beans, or Hummus. We can also minimize gas

from beans by soaking and cooking them well, eating them in combination with other foods, not eating excessive amounts, and chewing them well"

by Dr. Michael Greger in his newsletter ‘Latest In Human Nutrition’, April/June, 2005

Once you have cleaned your beans they are ready to be cooked. I am getting this batch ready for Pressure Canning Beans.

Baked Beans
BBQ Beans
Bush "Secret" Beans 
Black Beans 
Pinto Beans





Prior to Canning you need to prep your beans.


Fill your pot with water and simmer for the length you need for your recipe. Once your beans have cooked for about 15 minutes skim the foam off the top.

Beans Gotta Love them!

Disclaimer: This is not an all inclusive recipe for making jam. You should have a basic knowledge and understanding of the canning process before proceeding. Please consult your local Center for Home Preservation for additional information and available classes.