Preserving soup

Freeze or can soup and you will end up with a healthy food as you control the ingredients and the amount of added salt.

Freeze soup

Following the steps below to safely freeze soup.

1. Use less liquid when preparing soup.
2. Do not add potatoes because they become mushy after freezing - add them when you reheat soup before serving.
3. Cool soup quickly by placing a soup-pot inside a larger container filled with ice. Stir often.
4. Package soup in containers leaving 1-inch headspace after cooling. Or freeze in ice cube tray and store cubes in plastic bags.
5. Label containers and place in freezer for up to 6 months.

Can soup

When home-canning soup, the canned soup must be processed in a pressure canner. Follow the steps below to safely can soup.

1. Choose vegetables and prepare as you would for hot-pack canning.
2. Rehydrate dried beans or peas before using them.
3. Add cooked meat or poultry if desired.
4. Cover ingredients with hot water, broth or tomatoes, and juice. Boil for 5 minutes.
5. Add salt and other spices to taste.
6. Do not add thickeners, flour, milk, cream, noodles, pasta, or rice. Add these ingredients when the soup is heated for serving.
7. Fill canning jars halfway with solids from the soup mixture. Continue filling jars with hot liquid from the soup mixture, leaving 1" headspace.
8. Process in a pressure canner.
   1. Use 11 pounds pressure for dial-gauge canner or 15 pounds pressure for weighted-gauge canner.
   2. Process pints for 60 minutes and quarts for 75 minutes.