Yum - thanks! That's a recipe I will definitely try. There are actually quite a lot of good soup/stew recipes on her site. I've never visited it before so I'm glad you brought it up. Anne Here is a link that might be useful: link to RR's Turkey Stoup recipe

Yeah me to Val. I've been canning for several years just not pressure canning for that long. I had only canned tomatoes and string beans before I started using the pressure canner. Since I am having trouble remembering everything I am trying to make notes so I can refer back to my notes. I've heard people say you can add more to the jar if it's partially cooked as well. But with the half and half rule Dave refers to, you only still need to fill the jar half full of veggies and then finish filling with broth is what I am understanding.

Renee, I think Rachel Ray is too "cute" for my taste and I can't watch her for long, but Ashley and Amanda both like her, maybe it's the age thing? Anyway, I could listen to her more comfortably if she'd stop with the little abbreviations and nick names and cook something. And how in the world is "sammie" shorter than sandwich, they both have two syllables, geez... Now, please note that I said the girls like to watch her show. They've never cooked a single one of her recipes, they both say she has too many ingredients to ever make anything in half an hour. As for Soup v Stew, here's what "LaRousse Gastronomique, The world's Greatest Culinary Encyclopedia" has to say. Yup, I have it right here, the boss bought it for me for Christmas! Soup: A liquid savory food served at the beginning of a meal or as a light meal in itself. There are many soups which make a heavy meal, including Italian minestrone and chunky seafood chowder. Originally in France the soupe was the piece of bread on which was poured the contents of the cooking pot (potage). Soupe and Potage are now often synonymous.... Stew: The term stewing means long slow cooking in liquid. This may be done on the stovetop or in the oven. In either case the heat should be low enough to prevent the liquid from doing more than barely simmering. Ingredients are covered with liquid and a generous portion of flavouring ingredients, such as root vegetables. Stews should be always be rich, an intensity resulting from the mingling of flavors, extraction of juices and breaking down of connective tissue and gelatinous substances. The extended cooking time usually results in significant evaporation... In other words, I don't know. (grin) Annie

"Ultimately, I would like to cook and preserve large batches of stews, soups, chilies, and dishes like corned beef and cabbage or red beans and sausage." Pressure canning has a much more complex learning curve than BWB canning does so ultimately the ability to can all those things is going to depend on the set of instructions, the recipe, you use. There are tested recipes available for some things you list but the ingredients and flavor may differ greatly from your personal recipes. And some will have to be canned separately as Martha said and then combined after opening as convenience - trying to can already mixed foods - is heavily outweighed by the safety and quality issues. A couple of good examples are: soups - they have what is called the 1/2 and 1/2 rule - jar must be no more than 1/2 solids and the rest liquids for safe heat penetration. Another is dried beans: they must be partially rehydrated but not fully cooked prior to canning. If fully cooked first you end up with a jar of mashed bean mush. As already mentioned personal recipes often have to be adjusted, or avoided in total, for safety reasons. That is a basic rule of home canning - you cannot can your own personal recipes. And some foods (like cabbage) simply don't hold up to pressure canning so quality of the end result is also an issue. NCHFP (the link Nancy gave you) is the place to start and you'll want to invest in a copy of Ball's Complete Guide to Home Canning. Lastly, the make and model of your PC and your altitude play a significant role in both safety and quality. The higher the altitude the more complex the process can become. Believe me we are not trying to discourage you but only to let you know that pressure canning isn't as simple as cooking what you want, putting it in a jar and canning it, and then expecting it to be safe or even edible once the jar is opened. So if you want to post some detailed recipes for review we can give you some specific feedback. Dave