French Onion Soup, Revisited

 When I hit the grocery recently, I saw Vidalia onions again.  Usually you think of Vidalias in the spring, but here it is, officially autumn, and there they were, big as life.  So I bought myself five pounds of Oniony Goodness from Georgia and made another batch of French onion soup.

Those Other People in the house aren't as fond of it as I am, so I figured I'd have to preserve it.  Well, the darned freezer is packed completely full, so I had to find another way to save the pot of soup.  In one of my canning/preserving books, there it was - French onion soup.  The recipe was almost identical to the one I use, and at the end there were canning directions!  So, I got out the pressure canner and making sure the soup had been brought to a boil, I put 3 quarts of boiling water and the canner's rack into the canner and filled jars with hot soup.  The canning procedure is the same as for broth, except the times are longer - 60 minutes for pints, 65 minutes for quarts. 

Ladle soup into each jar to 1 inch below the rim (if you're using a canning funnel, that's just below the bottom of the funnel).  Wipe any drips or spills off the jar's rim to ensure the lids will seal.  Place a lid on each jar, and tighten the ring to just finger tight.  Place the jars on the rack in the canner, close the lid, and turn on the heat, about medium-high.  Vent the canner according to its instructions. 

After venting 10 minutes, place the weight on the vent (yes, even a canner with a dial regulator will have a weight to place on the vent).  Allow the pressure to build to 10 pounds (a weighted regulator - the weight will rock gently on its own) or 11 pounds (a dial regulator).  The pressure relief valve will rise and lock the lid.  Start timing when the correct pressure has been reached.  Adjust the heat to maintain pressure. 

Process the jars, 60 minutes for pints and 65 minutes for quarts.  When the correct time has elapsed, turn off the heat and let the pressure release.  You won't be able to open the lid until the lid lock has dropped.  When it has dropped, wait an additional 10 minutes before opening the lid. 

Remove the jars from the canner.  Place them on a towel to cool.  Don't tighten or remove the rings.  Drape another towel over the jars to keep them out of any drafts.  You'll hear the lids click as they cool.  Let them sit overnight.  Don't touch them until then!  Check the lids to be sure they've sealed - they should be concave and stay that way.  You can remove the rings at this point. Label the jars and store them.  If any of the jars don't seal, you can put those in the refrigerator and use them within a couple of weeks, or reprocess.

Tomatoes Out Our Ears - I'm canning like mad!!!

This spring I planted tomatoes and bell peppers because it seemed like the thing to do.  I planted Big Boy, Black Krim, Super Sauce, Steakhouse, and Super Steak tomatoes.  The Big Boys have been a little disappointing compared to other years, but the others are about to bury me, so I've been canning them.  

At 18 ounces, my Super Sauce tomatoes are too big to fit into a pint canning jar, as are my Steakhouse tomatoes, at over 1 1/2 pounds!

Here's a Super Sauce.

Here's a Steakhouse.

I usually can my tomatoes in a boiling water bath canner, but I also process them in a pressure canner.  It just depends on what I feel like using.  I processed my first two batches this year using the water bath canner, but I think I'll be using the pressure canner for the rest of them; it's a little faster and uses less water.

How I Can Tomatoes (Hot Pack)

Always select PERFECT tomatoes.  Slightly underripe is fine.  Overripe is a big no-no.  Don't worry about washing them really well, because you're going to remove the skins.  I rinse them off quickly to remove dirt.

If you don't have time to process your tomatoes right away, you can just freeze them whole in bags or containers.  When you thaw them, the skins will slip off easily - no blanching!  I usually don't do that because I keep my freezer pretty full of Other Things.

To remove the skins by blanching, fill a pot (about 6 quarts) with water and bring it to boiling.  Cut a 2-inch X on the blossom end of each tomato.  Using a fry basket, spider skimmer, or slotted spoon, dip tomatoes into the water for about 30 seconds.  Remove from the boiling water and immerse in ice water (I use a BIG bowl or the well-cleaned sink).  The skins should come right off.

I cut the tomatoes into quarters or halves and remove the seeds.  Put the first three or four tomatoes in the bottom of a pot and "squish 'em good" with a potato masher.  Heat them to a simmer.  As you cut up, core, and seed the rest of the tomatoes, put them in the pot.  Heat them all up to a boil and simmer 5 minutes.

Immediately ladle the tomatoes into canning jars to within 1 inch of the rim, wipe off the jar rim, place a lid and ring (two-piece lids) on the jars, place into the canner and process.  It will be easier if you use a canning funnel when you fill the jars.  Only use NEW lids - don't reuse them.

For a water bath canner, place the canner rack in the bottom of the canner.  Cover the jars with boiling water to at least 1 inch above their tops.  Bring the water to a moderate boil and keep it there for 20 minutes (pints) or 25 minutes (quarts).  When the processing time is over, turn off the heat and let sit for 10 minutes.

For a pressure canner, place the canner rack in the bottom of the canner, add 3 quarts (or the amount specified by your canner's instructions) of boiling water to the canner, place the jars in the canner, lock the lid.  Look for a steady stream of steam out of the vent.  Exhaust the air from the canner by allowing the steam to flow for 10 minutes.  Place the regulator weight on the vent.  Bring the pressure up to 10 pounds (using a three-piece regulator weight) or 11 pounds (using a gauge) for 10 minutes (pints or quarts) OR 15 pounds for 1 minute.  Check your canner's instructions.  After processing time is finished, turn off the burner or remove the canner (CAREFULLY - it's heavy!) from the heat.  The pressure will reduce until the air vent/cover lock drops.  Remove the weighted regulator and let sit for 2 minutes.  Remove the lid and let sit for 10 minutes.

Remove jars from the canner with a jar lifter and place on a dry dish towel on the counter.  Cover the jars with a second dish towel to keep the jars out of any drafts while they cool.  You may hear the lids click when they seal.  Let them sit overnight.  Check the lids for a seal.  The centers of the lids should stay down when you press on them.  Remove the rings, wipe down the jars, label, and store.  If a jar doesn't seal, either reprocess it or put it in the refrigerator and use as soon as possible.

Use within 18 months to two years.  They'll be just fine that long.  

Chicken Broth - Can It!

Aren't they purty?

I cooked a couple of whole chickens a while back and had these lovely carcasses, necks, and giblets left over.  I'd also been making a lot of chicken-based soup, and I was getting tired of buying cans and cans of chicken broth.  Brain wave - I'll make my own!

A lot of people who make their own broth freeze it, but I didn't want to waste valuable freezer space with something that could easily be made shelf stable, so canning was the preservation method I chose.

I've canned pickles, beets, tomatoes, green beans, and jams and jellies, but never broth.  I got out my copies of the Ball Blue Book and a collection of USDA bulletins for my research project.  Because broth isn't acidic or full of sugar, it MUST be pressure canned.  No water bath canning!  So here's how to make and can your own broth.

My canner has a pressure dial regulator, but
the USDA prefers weights instead.

Chicken Broth

Chicken carcass(es), broken up
Chicken giblets
Chicken necks
Leafy tops from celery
1 or 2 Carrots, large, cut into 2-inch pieces
10 Black peppercorns
2 Bay leaves
Water to cover
1 t Salt per quart of water

Get out your largest stockpot and put in as many chicken carcasses, giblets, and necks as you can fit loosely.  Add the rest of the ingredients, measuring the water as you add it, one quart at a time.  Bring it to a boil, cover, turn the heat way down and simmer 3-4 hours.

Strain out all the STUFF - bones, vegetables, spices - and chill overnight in the refrigerator.  Skim the fat off the top of the chilled broth.  You can save it and use it to make chicken gravy later, if desired.

So that's the process to make the actual broth!


CANNING THE BROTH

To can your homemade broth, you'll need a real-for-real pressure canner like the one pictured above.  They're sold at Walmart and farm stores like Rural King or Tractor Supply.  Do NOT use an Instant Pot or similar electric pressure cooker.  Make sure you read the instructions carefully before using it.  Also, make sure your stovetop is suitable for canning.  Your owner's manual will have that information.

Clockwise, from the upper
left:  jar lifter, canning
funnel, lid, and ring.

Some inexpensive gadgets will make the job easier.  A canning funnel has a wide opening that just fits in the jar's mouth.  A jar lifter makes handling the jars safer when you're transferring them into and out of the canner. 

So if you're going to take the plunge, decide whether you're going to use quart or pint jars and wash them well in hot water (or the dishwasher!), make sure you have enough lids and rings (two-part lids) for the jars and wash the rings.  Always use NEW lids.  The rings are meant to be reused - they just hold the lids in place until the jars are sealed.

Bring the broth back to a boil.  Put about 3 quarts of water in the canner.  Put the canner's rack in the bottom of the canner.  Ladle broth into each jar to 1 inch below the rim (if you're using a canning funnel, that's just to the bottom of the funnel).  Wipe any drips or spills off the jar's rim to ensure the lids will seal.  Place a lid on each jar, and tighten the ring to just finger tight.  Place the jars on the rack in the canner, close the lid, and turn on the heat, about medium-high.  Vent the canner according to its instructions. 

After venting 10 minutes, place the weight on the vent (yes, even a canner with a dial regulator will have a weight to place on the vent).  Allow the pressure to build to 10 pounds (a weighted regulator - the weight will rock gently on its own) or 11 pounds (a dial regulator).  The pressure relief valve will rise and lock the lid.  Start timing when the correct pressure has been reached.  Adjust the heat to maintain pressure. 

Process the jars, 20 minutes for pints and 25 minutes for quarts.  When the correct time has elapsed, turn off the heat and let the pressure release.  You won't be able to open the lid until the pressure relief valve has dropped.  When it has dropped, wait an additional 10 minutes before opening the lid. 

Remove the jars from the canner.  Place them on a towel to cool.  Don't tighten or remove the rings.  Drape another towel over the jars to keep them out of any drafts.  You'll hear the lids click as they cool.  Let them sit overnight.  Check the lids to be sure they've sealed - they should be concave and stay that way.  You can remove the rings at this point. Label the jars and store them.  If any of the jars don't seal, you can put those in the refrigerator and use them within a couple of weeks, but as long as the jar rims are clean before you put the lids on, that shouldn't happen.