Help mushy noodle in canned soup.

[HappyCamper45]

I made turkey soup for canning. Think I'm doing something wrong.

 

The soup was very good, However when I canned the soup the noddles and carrots were mushy. My family wanted some soup so I cooked the carrots all the way and noodles most the way.

 

If I don't cook the noodles all the way, The noodles soak up the broth while canning?

 

Any suggestion for future soups.

 

The way I made my soup was Nana cure all soup less the hot spices.

 

Yummy

[Cat]

Noodles, pasta, and rice should be added *after* canning, while you're heating them up to eat. Otherwise, they turn to (you guessed it...) MUSH.

 

 

 

But noodles, pasta, and rice keep dry nearly forever, too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Violet]

Noodles are considered a thickener and are not safe to add to soups. They change the ph level and also will break down and change the density of the soup.

No rice, pasta, barley, etc. are safe to add before canning.

From USDA :

 

How do I? ...Can Vegetables

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Soups

Vegetable, dried bean or pea, meat, poultry, or seafood soups can be canned.

 

Caution: Do not add noodles or other pasta, rice, flour, cream, milk or other thickening agents to home canned soups. If dried beans or peas are used, they must be fully rehydrated first.

 

 

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_04/soups.html

[Spider]

I learned this the hard way too. An older friend, who has canned all of her life, told me I could do this so I trusted her. I had to throw all of the soup away. It was HORRIBLE. It was even hard to get it out of the jars. Like Cat said, I'm keeping my noodles/pasta in the pantry and I'll add it when heating the soup up. Lesson was well learned especially before something happened where my supplies would have been more vital.

[Jewlzm]

I cold pack all my veggies for my soup and just pour the heated broth and meat over it. I like a little crisp to my veggies so I try not to cook them to death. The canning process does make them just soft enough.

[Jewlzm]

Oh.. and I dont can noodles in it. It makes them overly mushy. There is plenty of time when heating the soup to put the noodles in .

[Violet]

Happy Camper,

When you can soups, the vegetables are supposed to be hot, as well. When a recipe/method says hot pack, then that is how it is supposed to be done for safety reasons. It is considered part of the safe processing times.

There are two kinds of pack, raw pack and hot pack. Raw pack, the food is packed raw into the jars and the boiling liquid put in the jars, then hot pack, the entire product is at boiling temperature.

Pack your jars of soup half full of the solid mixture, the other half of the jar should be broth.

Here is a link to canning soups.

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_04/soups.html

 

 

[HappyCamper45]

Are you telling me all nana cure all soup is bad, cause I add noddles? Please say it aint so...I worked hard on that.

 

 

[HappyCamper45]

OK that's it...What else don't i know about canning. It's costing me lots of money to throw this food out.

 

Not to mention my family refuses to eat the meat because it looks so bad.

 

You know everyone says you can can anything but no one puts in the but's. But don't add corn starch add Gel thinkeners, So there went all my stew. Hey, can butter I've done it for years. So I canned cases of butter. Oh but butter is unsafe to can.

 

I can everything he says. So I made cases of homemade corn chowder, Oh but don't use evaporated milk. There goes 12 quarts of Corn chowder.

 

Too many rules, and I learn them after I've made at least 1 case or more. Not only did I made Nana cure all soup but I took the left over Turkey and made 14 pints of regular turkey soup. With noodles.

 

I'm so done.

 

 

Seems the more I learn the less I know. Time to put the canner away and start freezing. Maybe my gas bill will go down now.

[Andrea]

(((((HappyCamper45)))))

 

Okay, go run yourself a bubblebath, grab a novel, pour yourself a glass of wine and RELAX (earplugs may be necessary to shut out the kiddoes!)

 

After you've calmed down. Go put you canning stuff away out of sight and take a sabbatical. You've earned it. Then, go to the library and checkout a few canning books written in THIS century (I swear, the canning laws change every other year or so!) I really like "Putting Food By" but the Ball book is great too. I own them both. Now, read them both cover to cover and underline/highlight the stuff you NEED to remember and maybe even dogear the corners of those pages that seem really important.

 

Next, evaluate why you are canning and how much time/energy/money you are using to homecan versus other methods of preservation. And definitely take into account your family's willingness to eat home-canned foods.

 

For myself, I find canning to be absolutely backbreaking work and it is not my favorite method of preservation. I've also found that unless I'm given or grow the items to be canned, it just doesn't make financial sense to homecan. That being said, I find that I almost never use my pressure canner and if I do, I might can broth, but that's about it. And even then, it's so much easier and faster to just freeze the broth in 2 cup increments. But I do know how to pressure can meats, broths and vegetables should that skill become a necessity.

 

I mostly just water-bath can now - I grow a lot of tomatoes, peppers, apples, etc. So I can all of our salsa, tomato sauce & juice, jellies, and jams and pickles. But I only can for my family and I never can more than 12 months worth (I'm a firm believer in keeping home canned foods rotated I also find it to be too much work!)

 

When I've reached my 12 months supply, I fire up the dehydrators and load up the freezer. I personally have found that dehydrating and freezing are the most economical method of food preservation for my family. They are also a lot less time consuming!

 

I feel that canning may become an essential skill to have (especially with all the tainted food recalls) and I have to say that even though you've wasted a bit of food, you've learned a very important skill, a skill that your family may very well come to depend upon for safety and survival.

 

So go drink your glass of wine, read your books, take a much needed break, and then get back to canning!

[HSmom]

I agree about the sabbatical, and will supply the wine. :cocktail:

 

When you're ready to try again, FIRST spend some time on this website: http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_home.html If they don't list a food, it cannot (safely) be canned at home. If you see a recipe posted on the 'net, compare it to the recommendations on that site. If you want to make soup, combine SAFE (listed) ingredients and process as for the one food requiring the most processing.

 

I'm sorry you've gotten off to such a frustrating start. :

[Violet]

Happy Camper, I am sorry you feel so down about the canning. If you want to can something, please feel free to ask questions. I am trained in food safety preservation, so I am happy to help.I volunteer my time at my local county extension office answering food preservation/safety questions. I just don't want to not say anything about the unsafe foods because I don't want anyone to get sick.

I know it is very confusing at first. If it helps, I think there is a list someplace that discusses what is not safe to add. I wish the websites would be more indepth, but sorry to say, they are not. As I said, I am happy to help you with any questions.

Be sure the books you get are USDA approved and also current. The site here is known as the leading authority on home canning.

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_home.html

I think it is the same one listed in HSmom's post, also.

 

[HappyCamper45]

Yes, I did have a melt down. It wasn't pretty. Cried the whole time pouring the soups out. Felt the same way when getting rid of the stew the butter and the corn chowder.

 

I'm still having the melt down.

 

I do appreciate the kinds word but, it's hard for you to understand. There isn't much money and I've wasted so much of it canning food we will never be able to eat.

 

You say, ask questions but, I don't know what those question are until it's too, late. I did ask what you couldn't use in canning and the answer was dairy products, not noodles and rice.

 

From my point of view. If the store can can it why can I?

 

I read the blue book front to back and when I see a canning recipe or a recipe here on this forum that say it can also be canned, I take that at face value. It doesn't say it can be canned but, make sure you leave out the noodles.

 

Everyone here just assumes I know the do's and don't's of canning and I don't. It's not like breaking a few eggs to learn to bake. Do it wrong here and you could kill someone or make them very sick. Not to mention learning the way I'm learning has cost a lot of money. In both food, time and propane.

 

Time to put away the canner. It's not worth feeling like this.

 

Oh and why aren't there any sad. crying , upset, fustrated, animated pictured here. Every day is not a happy day.

 

 

[Jewlzm]

Oh HC45 I am so sorry you are feeling this way!

I do understand lack of money and wasted food. Believe me I do. I hate to see you upset like this. I dont know what to say to make you feel better.

[PoGo]

HappyCamper45, I'm sorry you're so frustrated with canning.

The following link offers a self study course, done online, to learn about home canning. You must register to use it.

 

https://www.uga.edu/nchfp/exception_account.html

 

I urge you to continue with your canning efforts, and to ask about EACH recipe you want to can, until you become proficient in canning.

 

(PS a few of the "unhappy" smilies found on this site)...

:boxer:

 

 

[Violet]

Happy Camper, I truly am sorry. I do understand not having money for food and necessities. I have been there before myself.

The course online is good, but it still will not be totally specific, like the butter, eggs, milk, pasta, rice, flour, etc. Also, things like not adding anything else to the recipes than the amounts and ingredients listed in a recipe. You will find many many recipes and methods online and it books that are not safe to follow.

I had to study long and hard to learn what I have. It takes time. As someone said, please, ask about what you want to can before hand and I will be happy to help. You can even send me a private message so I will be sure to see it.

Trust me, you will be able to can some really great things ! Cheap things, too, like chili and soups and also things you may get from folks for free. We all have made mistakes learning how to can safely. I really do feel badly.

 

 

 

[Darlene]

HC, I've pm'd you my phone number. Call me if you want to can. I'll walk you though it. The "do not" guidelines are very simple. No flours/starches/thickeners (other than the ones you already know) and no dairy. I've been where you're at and thrown away things too...in fact, in my unpacking, I came across some stuff I had canned a while ago that isn't worth 2 cents. I know what you're talking about, but if I can rise to the challenge and conqure it, so can you.

 

I'll give you a little time to get the frustration and disappointment outta your system...I certainly can relate to that...but then I'm coming after ya and we're gonna get you up to speed.

 

(((((HC)))))