Bean with Bacon Soup

[Valerie]

This came from Countryside Magazine.

4 lb of navy beans
2 lb of bacon
8 cups of potatoes, cubed
4 qts of tomato juice
4 cups of carrots, diced
5 cups of onions, minced
4 cups of water

Soak beans overnight. Drain and cover with fresh water. Boil until tender. Drain.
Fry bacon, cool and crumble. Cook potatoes, carrots and celery in small amount of water until tender-crisp. Drain. Mix all ingredients together. Fill jars just to neck. Pressure can at 10# for 20 minutes.

(No mention of how many quarts this makes).

[meemo]

OK, I'm goin to be the canning police. The rule is that when you mix stuff in a jar you figure your process time according to the ingredient that takes the longest. The bacon would make it 90 min. Even without that the potatoes should be processed 40 minutes, pints or qts. I dont think 20 min. is enough time. I like the recipe. I've been moving around a small container of navy beans wondering what I might do with them. Methinks this would be good to have on hand.

[Valerie]

Peggy, I wondered about that processing time, too, until I realized everything is cooked before you put it in the jars. Even the bacon has already been cooked. I wonder if that makes a difference?

[meemo]

All of the recipes in my old Kerr canning book that have meat in them say to process qts for 90 min and pts for 75. I want to can some of this in pint jars. I'll soak the beans and cook some of the fat out of the bacon but I'm not goin to precook the other ingredients.

[Valerie]

Yeah, I think that would be better Just cook the stuff part way or just to hot, and let it cook all the way in the jars, with the longer processing time. Otherwise it would probably all be mush. Tasty much all the same, though! I think I might would still cook my bacon all the way done, though, because I don't like squishy bacon pieces in stuff.

[meemo]

I got all the stuff together to can this tomorrow. It sounds like something Paul would really like. I'm goin to soak the beans and cook the bacon but the rest of it I'm just goin to heat up to just barely boiling and then can it. That way the veggies and the beans wont be mushy. But then what would that hurt. Anytime I've had good bean/bacon soup its been almost smooth like pea soup. Its goin to be a good thing.

[Valerie]

I got all the stuff today, too! I won't be doing mine tomorrow, though, because I'll be over at the school most of the day. Maybe Wednesday, though!

Tell me how yours comes out, Peggy!

[meemo]

I sure will. I wouldnt mind if a jar doesnt seal this time but you know Murphys law. they will all seal real tight.

[Valerie]

Hey, Peggy, how did yours turn out?

I went with a longer processing time, too. I cooked everything mostly done, then processed quarts for 1 hour. That was the time for Bean Soup in my Kerr book. I hope it comes out OK!

ETA: This made 13 quarts for me.