Not with any milk/cream base or with any butter in it and the recipes I use call for all 3. You can freeze it though if that texture appeals to you or you can can the potatoes if you wish and freeze or dry the leeks to make it up as needed.

I suppose it would be possible to pressure can it in some sort of meat broth but I don't think it would be the same. ;)

Dave

I assume you mean a pureed soup (aka vichysoisse) and that couldn't be canned due to density issues.

You could can plain potatoes as long as it's cubes or small whole ones.

At one point I did post a seasoned potato puree which can be frozen and then used as a soup base or for mashed potatoes.

Carol

I suppose you could can the potatoes and leeks together in a chicken broth base and then add the milk/cream later. It might be a little more watery (but less fattening). I wouldn't puree the potatoes though as that would affect denisty issues and besides I like chunky soup =)

-Laura

ok, so if I don't puree and cooked the leeks and potatoes in chicken broth, how long do I process for? Do I need a specific potato to leek to broth ratio?

tia

cindy,

here is what the MSU site says -- general info for canning any combo of broth, veggies, & meat.

Here is a link that might be useful: MSU Preserving Food Safely on Soups

This is the recipe I made and would like to can. It wasn't really thick--similar to a split pea soup.

Recipe:

3 T butter (I can eliminate this)
8 large leeks chopped and cooked until tender
3 medium potatoes thinly sliced
5 cups chicken stock

Bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer for about 30 minutes.
Puree until smooth. (It would be fine if only half pureed) Season with salt and pepper.
Thin with additional stock if necessary.

Very simple and delicious. I have frozen a ton of it, but would love to have it on a shelf (I'm running out of freezer space).

Many thanks,
Rachel

Rachel,
Can the soup according the the guidelines someone sent the link for. Then, puree your soup after you open it up to heat and serve. You can also add butter at that point, if you want.

Many thanks Linda Lou! The whole pressure canner concept has me very befuddled!

Rachel

As the safe soup link zabby provided tells you,
1 - this MUST be pressure canned
2 - no pureeing is allowed
3 - you can only 1/2 fill the jars and then fill it the rest with the broth so it will be very diluted
4 - you'd have to leave out the butter

All that tells me that trying to can this and do it safely is an excessive amount or work of a small return in convenience. Especially when it freezes so easily.

Not everything can be canned safely so are you sure this is worth all the effort? ;)

Dave

Dave,

We all have our different contexts of what is too much effort and what is worthwhile! I have a lot of friends who think the concept of home-canning anything is crazy and too much work.... And I can remember thinking starting tomato plants from seed was a CRAZY high-input thing to do when my brother first did it. Now I start 200+ plants a year and think it's not really a big deal. ;-)

Rachel,

I do agree with Dave, however, in seconding his reminders to be sure to follow the guidelines, especially with soemthing like a meat broth.

This seems to me like a pretty good candidate for canning, actually; some things come out awfuly soft after pressure canning, but if you're going to puree anyway you don't mind for this purpose. And it's really easy to puree a soup once it's warmed up (I have an immersion blender that does it in a jiffy and rinses clean easy as pie).

I haven't made the jump to pressure canning yet myself but if I do, it's going to be yummy soups like this, or like Katie's Roaste Garlic & Tomato one, that push me over that line! On a bleak, chilly, rainy day like this I would sure love to see rows of soup jars on my shelves....

Please let us know how you make out! Maybe you will inspire me...

Zabby

Come to think of it, that is good advice at the 50% solids. The reason I'm thinking of going to the trouble is that I have very little freezer space.

Why not can half cut up leeks and half broth. It only takes a few minutes to cook diced potatoes to add after opening. Or you could just freeze the leeks. They don't need blanching and they don't take up much freezer space.
I'd rather make leek soup on the spot with frozen or fresh leeks, cut up potatoes or left over mashed, chicken bouillon or broth, half and half or evaporated milk and butter, salt and pepper. It's ready to eat in 45 minutes.

I just made a HUGE pot of lettuce-potato w/onion soup. It is already pureed! No milk, oil or butter of any kind. Can I still can it? If so, how long at 15lbs pressure. Do I have to add 50% liquid? Thanks.

Can you still can it? No, not since it has been pureed. In addition to the fact that it was not an approved, tested recipe (can't be or processing times would have been included), the many reasons why it cannot be canned are explained in detail in the discussions above.

Sorry, but you will have to freeze it. And, since you have to freeze it, no, you do not need to add 50% liquid to it.

Dave

if you freeze it and if you use Ball jars... be sure to use the specific jars without shoulders made for freezing and still leave room for liquid expansion (best to freeze with lid loose and tighten later...be sure heat doesn't seal the lid down) (learned the hard way, LOVE potato leek soup)

Omit the cheese or any other dairy. This might even work if you mix everything raw, and add to jars at room temp, and can in a PC. That should actually cook everything right in the jars.

To avoid any confusion I should add that to the recipe I just listed, I know that the dairy is put on top of the soup as a garnish when serving. The soup is not prepared with any dairy.

I just wanted to list the recipe as it is in the book and give the proper credits to the book.

Terri - you are also going to have to add to the recipe the pressure canning instructions. ;) How long and at what pressure do you plan to process it?

Dave

Ok, let me put this all together, here is the Potato Leek Soup recipe:

The recipe from Dairy Hollow House Soup & Bread A Country Inn Cookbook was written as follows:
1 lb. all-purpose potatoes, scrubbed and sliced
8 leeks, white part and 1 inch of green, split open lengthwise, very well washed, and sliced
4 cups chicken stock
4 cups spring water
1-3 T butter to taste (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Croutes of whole-wheat French bread
Grated Parmesan cheese, chopped fresh parsley, sour cream, kefir cheeseÂ

1. In a large, heavy soup pot, combine the potatoes, leeks stock, water and butter if using. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat to medium, and let simmer strongly, uncovered, until the liquid is reduced by about half, about 1 hour. Stir occasionally. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. Mash some of the potatoes into the soup to thicken it slightly.
2. Place croute in each soup bowl, and ladle in the soup. Top, if desired, with a bit of grated Parmesan, a spring of parsley, or dab of the dairy garnishes.
Makes 6-8 servings

Now if I am correct the changes I need to make are:
1. Peel the potatoes
2. Omit the butter (When I made it, I had omitted the butter anyway)
3. Divide leeks into jars.
4. Put potatoes in stock and heat to boiling.
5. Divide potatoes filling only 1/2 way and then fill with remaining stock.
6. Leave 1 inch head space.
7. I can smash/mash/puree mixture when I open it at a later time.

I have revised this a bit because of the long processing time. I don't believe that the soup needs to cook an hour nor do I think it needs to have the water added as listed in the original recipe.

I also think that this can be doubled...right?

Pressure canning should be based on the item that needs the longest cooking time and that would be the chicken broth not the potatoes, so:
elevation w/dial: 0-2,000- 11 lbs
2-4,000 12 lbs
elevation w/weight: 0-1,000 10 lbs
above 1,000 15 lbs
cookig time: pints 60 minutes
quarts 75 minutes

Does this sound right?

Thanks again,
Teri

I found this thread doing a google search for preserving leeks.

This soup sounds good, but I want to make sure the revisions made are correct?

Can I just put in the raw potatoes & raw leeks (1/2 jar), add broth to fill jar leaving 1" headspace?
Then pressure can for 60min pints / 75min quarts @ 10 lbs pressure (i'm under 1000ft) ?

No, soups must be hot when they go into the jars. All the contents and the liquid.

1 lb. all-purpose potatoes, scrubbed and sliced
8 leeks, white part and 1 inch of green, split open lengthwise, very well washed, and sliced
4 cups chicken stock
4 cups spring water
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Peel the potatoes
3. Divide leeks into jars.
4. Put potatoes in stock and heat to boiling.
5. Divide potatoes filling only 1/2 way and then fill with remaining stock.
6. Leave 1 inch head space.

pressure can for 60min pints / 75min quarts @ 10 lbs

Would this be right? what would need to change?

I would like to make this this weekend, could someone assist in making this canning worthy?

Okay - so much advice about canning soups that I am now confused. Density seems to be an issue yet one can pressure process solid tuna, meat loaf and patties with no problems and they are very dense. One can process unpeeled baby red potatoes so why peel for soups? One can process split pea soup which is dense. My question addresses the use of dairy in pressure canning. No dairy -I get that yet I have seen videos of pressure canning butter. How about subbing non dairy creamer for milk. Is that acceptable? Please advise. Thanks

Lots of discussions here about all your questions but I'll try to briefly address a couple of them.

Density seems to be an issue yet one can pressure process solid tuna, meat loaf and patties with no problems and they are very dense.

Not really comparable. They all have very different processing times and different preparation methods. And canning meatloaf? Hotly debated.

One can process unpeeled baby red potatoes so why peel for soups?

All potatoes are supposed to be peeled prior to canning per the guidelines. It's your choice if you choose to not peel them.

No dairy -I get that yet I have seen videos of pressure canning butter.

You'll see videos about canning all sorts of things. That doesn't mean they are approved or even should be done. NCHFP is very clear about not canning butter or any dairy products.

Some people choose to abide by the tested and approved guidelines, just carefully modify some of the guidelines, some choose to ignore them completely, and some intentionally slam them given their government funded source. The choice is yours. But it's you who has to evaluate the validity of the source of the info. NCHFP or Ball vs. you tube and personal blogs making all sorts of claims.

How about subbing non dairy creamer for milk. Is that acceptable?

No because they contain thickeners that retard heat penetration.

Basically you are trying to generalize from one food/recipe to another and that isn't safe to do because of the different pH, density, and processing times. Each food/recipe has to be evaluated on its own merits.

Hope this helps.

Dave

Hi all, new to the site and, to canning! I was wondering, if you didn't process your food for long enough in the pressure canner, can you process it a second time? The lids sealed perfectly, my soup was fully precooked there are no meat our seafood products. I simply only pressure canned for 25 min. Alternatively, can I freeze pressure canned items if I loosen the lids? Thanks!

You can reprocess if done within 24 hours and all ingredients are reheated first and new lids and clean jars are used. It is basically a start from scratch approach.

But yes freezing is the best option.

Dave

PS: welcome to the forum by the way. :)

Should bean soups be completely cooked before pressure canning or only partially cooked so they don't get too mushy?

Bean info from the NCHFP - How to Can Soups instructions:

For each cup of dried beans or peas, add 3 cups of water, boil 2 minutes, remove from heat, soak 1 hour, and heat to boil; drain.

Dave