It's October and the
cool weather is fast approaching and now is the time that fresh
hearty soups begin to enter my family's menu rotation. Actually
I like soups any time of the year, my wife however like many people
prefer soups only during the cooler months. Just as a building has to
have a strong foundation to stay upright, great soups rely on a solid
stock and soup base to give them depth of flavor and character. In simpler terms, 'garbage in equals garbage out'.
And because you will use your soup base to make soups throughout the
year you definitely want to make sure you have a great base.
The basic liquid I
use for my soup base is a variation on a 'white stock.' The term
white stock refers to any stock made with chicken, rabbit, lamb or
beef bones, mirepoix, and a small amount of seasonings and spices. A
brown stock is simply a white stock with tomatoes or a tomato product
added to the stock. A vegetable stock is made without bones and can be either a white or brown
stock. See my article 'Investing In Good Stocks Will Save You Money' on our blog.
So what exactly is a
soup base? In this instance, a soup base is a variation or
enhancement of a stock. It is a stock with all the basic vegetables
that I use in my soups added to the stock. I then can this soup base in
quart or pint jars so that whenever I need to make a quick soup, all
I have to do is open a jar and pour it in a saucepan and add any
additional ingredients to the base, then heat and serve. If you do not have the equipment to can the soup base you can freeze it in plastic
containers.
Soup bases can be
very basic with just a few ingredients (onions, celery, and garlic)
or they can be more complex with more ingredients. I like to sauté
peeled and chopped yellow squash and zucchini which I then puree with
a little stock and add to my soup base to give it a greater depth of
flavor and nutrients as I am a big texture eater and do not care to
eat zucchini or squash any other way except in soups. A friend of mine likes to add fresh kale and
chunked vegetables to his soup base. For Asian inspired soups I like to add chopped cabbage or bok choy. The bottom line is, make your
soup base the way you and your family like it. Keep in mind the more
basic or generic (for lack of a better term) the more versatile your
soup base will be. Versatility not only gives you more options, but
helps you stretch your food dollars.
The Recipe
There are a couple
of different ways to make and can this soup base. The most basic way
would be to take your white stock and add all the vegetables you want
in your soup base bring it to a simmer and then ladle the soup base
into your pint or quart jars and process them as necessary. The
second way, and the method I use, is to prep all of the vegetables
that you want in your soup base and then put equal amounts into each
of your canning jars. Bring your stock to a simmer and then ladle the
hot stock into the jars and process the jars as necessary.
The first method is
probably the easiest, but it is also more difficult to get an even
distribution of your vegetables into each canning jar using this
method. The second method requires a little more time as you have to
measure the vegetables and put an equal amount into each jar, but you
get a more consistent product each time. I prefer the second method as I
want my soup bases to be as consistent as possible from jar to jar.
My grandmother however, just dumped everything into the stock pot and
ladled it into to jars and processed them, and her soups were great.
Anyway, try it both ways, one method is not more correct than the
other. However, you get a more even distribution of ingredients in
your soup base following the second method, and consistency is
important to me.
Basic Soup Base
1 gallon (128
ounces) of white stock
3 large
onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 stalks of
celery, chopped
Place your stock in
a stockpot and bring to boil, then reduce the heat to low just to
keep the stock hot. While the stock is coming up to temperature,
start prepping your vegetables. Obviously if you already have fresh white or brown soup stock heated in your stockpot do not have to do this.
I like to dice my
onions small to medium dice, and roughly chop the carrots (if using them) and celery
the same size. I then distribute the chopped vegetables evenly
between 4 to 5 quart or 8 to 10 pint jars that have washed and
sterilized. It does not matter how you layer the vegetables they will
all get mixed up when they are processed in the pressure canner (see
canning instructions below).
Storing Or
Preserving Your Soup Base
If you are not going
to can your soup base but want to freeze it instead, you should add
all the chopped vegetables to your stock and cook them for about 20
minutes to throughly cook the raw vegetables. Then cool the soup base
and place it in plastic freezer containers. Keep in mind that liquid
expands when it freezes so if you decide to freeze your soup stock
only fill the containers about 75% full. If you have a vacuum sealer,
you can freeze your soup base in small containers, then once it is
fully hardened take it out of the container and vacuum seal your
blocks of soup base.
Most of the time I
prefer to can my stocks and soup bases. Fortunately, I have the
storage space and the equipment to do so, but I understand not
everyone does. The added advantage to canning my soup base is that it
does not take up precious space in my freezer and the canned soup
base is shelf stable until opened. All soup bases are low-acid foods
and low acids foods whether they contain meat or meat products must
be pressure canned to make sure they are safe for you and your
family. For more information regarding pressure and water bath
canning check out the article 'To Pressure Or Not To Pressure, That
Is The Question' on our blog.
Pressure Canning
Your Soup Base
By the time you
reach this point you have done all of the complicated stuff, now
comes the easy part. One at a time, ladle your hot stock into your
vegetable filled sterilized jars leaving 1-inch of headspace. Then,
wipe the rim of the jar with a damp clean paper towel. Place the
heated lid on the jar then hand tighten the ring and using your
tongs, place the jar in the simmering pressure canner. Repeat this
process until your canner is full, then place the lid on the canner
and process at the recommended time and pressure (see below).
If you have more
soup base to process than your canner will hold, only fill enough
jars to completely fill the canner. Once the first batch of soup base
has been processed and removed from the canner, check the water level
in the canner and adjust it as necessary. Then fill additional jars
with soup base following the previous instructions and process the
remaining soup base. Continue to do this until all of your base has
been safely processed.
If per chance, you
do not have enough jars of canned soup base to fill the pressure
canner (which happens to me all the time) Take empty jars filled with
warm water without lids and add those to the canner to take up the
empty space. These water filled jars will keep your precious bounty
from falling over and possibly breaking during the pressure canning
process. Remember to take care as the soup base in the canning jars
will be boiling and quite hot to touch. The following are the USDA recommended canning times depending on altitude and jar size for meat broth.
Recommended Processing Time In
Dial Gauge Pressure Canner
Pint Jars 20 minutes
at 11lbs (0 – 1,000ft), 12lbs (2,001 – 4,000ft), 13lbs (4,001 –
6,000ft) and 14lbs (6,001 or greater).
Quart Jars 25
minutes at 11lbs (0 – 1,000ft), 12lbs (2,001 – 4,000ft), 13lbs
(4,001 – 6,000ft) and 14lbs (6,001 or greater).
Processing Time In
Weighted Gauge Pressure Canner
Pint Jars 20 minutes
at 10lbs (0 – 1,000ft), 15lbs (greater than 1,001ft altitude).
Quart Jars 25
minutes at 10lbs (0 – 1,000ft), 15lbs (greater than 1,001ft
altitude).
Conclusion
Homemade soups and
stews are an inexpensive way to feed your family. Making your own
soups from stock or soup base is a great way to make delicious
inexpensive soups and stews. Having a soup base on hand allows you to
open the canning jar pour it into your saucepan and add some meat,
beans or additional vegetables and make a quick and delicious meal that
your family will love.
This article kind of
goes hand-in-hand with my article on making homemade stocks as I
usually make stock and soup base at the same time. In my next
article, I will be showing you how to make several soups straight in
the jar by adding your soup base and a few additional ingredients
along with your soup base to give you complete ready to eat meals.
If you are looking
to find additional ways to stretch your food dollars, be sure and
check out some of my other articles on the subject on our blog. And
as always, if you have enjoyed this article, please share it with
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Additional Articles
On Our Blog:
Additional
References On the Web:
Complete Guide to
Home Canning, Guide 1: Principles of Home Canning, United
States Department Of Agriculture,
http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/usda/GUIDE%201%20Home%20Can.pdf
Pressure Canning Low
Acid Foods, http://www.freshpreserving.com/tools/pressure-canning
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