I don't think they're really comparable. The NCHFP is providing times for soups which are 50% broth and 50% solids. If you look at the Ball recipes, that's not necessarily the case. Their bean recipe is pureed, there's a chili, a beef in wine sauce, a beef stew. All of these are considerably denser than what the NCHFP recommends for a general guideline for soups; hence, the longer processing times.

The only recipe which MIGHT compare is the Ball chicken soup, but not having made that particular recipe, I don't know if the solids are more than 50% of the whole or not.

Carol

Thanks Carol! I stuck to the NCHFP style of broth/solids with the help of a 6" strainer (do you have one of those? they're awesome- found it at an industrial kitchen store!) Thank you so much for your response- and how fast! My last batch is in the canner now.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
-Laura

I agree with Carol. The USDA guidelines are half solids, half broth, so it is less thick than some of the Ball recipes.
Enjoy your soup !

does anyone know how long to can pea soup with meat in 2 quart jars...also how full do you fill the pressure cooker? Do you cover the jars, thus I feel the water would boil out of pot...

does anyone know how long to can pea soup with meat in 2 quart jars...also how full do you fill the pressure cooker? Do you cover the jars, thus I feel the water would boil out of pot...

Oh my, some potential serious problems here.

First, you can't use a pressure "cooker". It must be a pressure canner - and it must be large enough to hold a minimum of 4 quart jars. The instructions on using your pressure canner should indicate that you put 3 inches of water into the bottom of the canner and then put in the jars. The water level raises up to about 1/2 way on the sides of the jars. You do NOT cover the jars with water and no, when used properly the water will not boil out of the pot. You are filling it with steam and with the weight in place that steam cannot escape.

Are you experienced in using a pressure canner? If not, some practice runs would be of great benefit to you.

Secondly, pea soup with meat can be risky. The meat must be precooked and the peas fully reconstituted. As already discussed above, the jars must be no more than 50% food and at least 50% liquid. Most people wouldn't care for pea soup that watery. What is the source of your recipe? If it is an approved recipe it should tell you what the processing time should be.

The instructions and processing times are given by NCHFP and linked below.

The best and safest recommendation is that you freeze this soup rather than trying to can it.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Canning soups

I should have said pressure canner. This is my first time using one and I was making my own recipe for pea soup. I am using a precooked ham and I can make it runny if need be. Can you explain why 50/50? I have canned for years but not with a pressure cooker. The book that came with it really did not give me much information. I saw quart jars take 1.5 hours but can't find anything on 2 quart jars and how long to pressure. I really appreciate any help you can give me.

Ernlynn, you should use quart jars, not your 2-quart jars. The soup recipes are only approved for quart jars, and it's not safe to use bigger jars. I believe 2-quart jars are no longer approved for anything (except maybe fruit juice?), so most of us on here use them to store dry things like granola and beans.

Per the discussion above, the half solids / half liquids requirement is for brothy soups that use the NCHFP method with the 75-minute processing time. Your soup would fall under the Ball method with the 90-minute processing time, as you noted.

Most soups that are half broth and half solids can be canned according to the NCHFP method. I'm not sure you can can just any pureed soup according to the Ball method. How close is your recipe to their split pea soup? They use 2 cups of dried beans to 8 cups of water (also 2 1/2 cups vegetables and 1 cup ham). If your proportions are similar, then you are probably safe. Remember no flour or oil in canning, so I wouldn't sweat the onions in oil first.

Also, don't try to save jars by making your soup too thick. You won't get even heat distribution and your product won't be safe. Thin the soup with water to a reasonable consistency; the Ball Book is not too specific here, but I think it should flow very easily off the spoon.

By the way, if you're using fresh peas rather than dried peas, of course you would be using somewhat less water than Ball calls for, so check the final consistency.

To be honest, since this varies from the NCHFP general rule for soups, I personally would try to stick almost exactly to the Ball recipe.

Melissa

You might want to read some previous threads on using a pressure canner or go to the NCHFP site and read their instructions on pressure canning. It's really critical to have a good foundation of information before jumping into the canning itself.

I'd recommend after reading that you do a test run with water-filled jars so that you can learn your canner and the appropriate heat settings for your stove. Otherwise you risk canner problems and siphoning of liquid out of the jars.

2-quart jars aren't approved for any canning except high-acid juices like grape or apple juice. No other recipes have been tested for jars of that size. Since even thinned split pea soup can be pretty dense, there's just no way to know what an appropriate time and pressure for jars of that size would be. The risk is an inadequate processing time.

Don't trust your canner manual. They are seldom revised and don't reflect current canning standards. Some still say vent for 7 minutes when the standard for years has been 10 minutes. I don't know of any manual that mentions the wait time at the end of processing.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Preserving Food: Using Pressure Canners

Thank you SO MUCH! If you have any other websites for pressure canning you think would be of help I would really appreciate it. I have been on the web all morning searching and am over whelmed with all the sites. I had no clue about the 2 quart jars they are sold in local stores so I thought they were okay to use for soups. That would explain why I can't find time to pressure them. I am going to freeze my pea soup this way I will feel safer and stick to more liquid soups from the book. Any recommendations on a good pressure cooking cookbook? Again **Many Thanks!**

making my own recipe for pea soup

I'm sorry but trying to can your own recipes is not at all safe. Tested recipes are the only way to safely can at home.

I missed the 2 qt jar size before - I read it as two 1 quart jars since the use of 2 quart jars has been prohibited for so long we tend to forget they exist. ;)

And Carol and Melissa are quite right - ignore your canner manual for anything but the most basic instructions like the amount of water to put in it. Some say 2 quarts but most say 2-3 inches. The 3" will allow for the longer processing times.

The Ball recipe for pea soup is one of several that I fully expect to be gone once the new guidelines come out and Ball upgrades to meet them because the newer NCHFP guidelines are the acknowledged authority now and they simply won't allow for it.

So once again, I suggest you stick to freezing it rather than canning. Your own recipe, even though it is thicker, will be safe for freezing but just not for canning.

Dave

There's a discussion in our county about whether the Ball recipes are actually tested. Inquiry to the Altrista corp has not yet been answered. We know the that So Easy to Preserve ones have been, so that would be my first pick to believe.

I used 2-quart jars years ago and could never get a reliable seal on them. Now, they won't fit in my canners. Doesn't hurt my feelings that they're no longer recommended. They sure are pretty on the shelf, though.

The 2 quart jars are also useful for refrigerator pickles. By "refrigerator pickles" I mean ones that go directly into the fridge rather than being heat processed, not the kind that you're not supposed to make where they're partially fermented and then put in the fridge. I'm not sure what they are actually called so I just think of them as refrigerator pickles! Quick pickles? Non-heat-processed pickles? Refrigerated pickles? Whatever.

Yup, I have three half gallon jars of half sours in my fridge right now.

I may be totally wrong, but I don't expect the pea soup in the Ball Blue Book will go. In fact, I'm not convinced the changes in the new USDA guide (when/if the darned thing ever comes out) will be that significant. I'm cynical, but I don't think the resources are being allocated to do the kind of testing that might result in major changes and/or lots of new recipes. Mainly I expect "tweaking" and updated information of the type we're already aware of - wait times for boiling water bath, pulling many refrigerator pickles due to listeria, replacing any remaining flour-thickened pickles with ClearJel.

Ernlynn, we do understand. It can be overwhelming to learn all these things at once.

First, I'd recommend you bookmark the NCHFP (National Center for Home Food Preservation) site. Dave already provided a link to soup info. I'm putting in a link to the homepage. If you scroll down that page you'll see they offer a FREE self-paced online course in home canning that will bring you up to speed on the basics. What's not to like about free?

The NCHFP site is the gold standard in home canning and should be your "go to." Be very careful of other online sites. While some are good, many offer untested and unreliable recipes and/or questionable procedures.

I do think you could can split pea soup, following the recommendations at the NCHFP page Dave linked to, but it sounds like first it might be a good idea to get your feet under and be clearer about basic canning principles. Right now your idea of freezing the soup is a great one.

You might want to return those 2-quart jars. Otherwise they do make great canisters.

You asked about recommendations for pressure cooking cookbooks. Do you mean for regular pressure cooking (i.e. family meals) or do you mean a reliable book that gives recipes for pressure canning?

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP Homepage