Canning Party continued…

Our canning party is over but the memories and the open jars in the fridge will last us a while.  A variety of meals await us with a large selection of canned goods to sample from.

We’ve enjoyed several bowls of the oh so good, oh so famous Sweet Potato Soup made by Barry.  This soup is so creamy and so good it is impossible to stop at just one bowl.  Barry (like us) spends many, many months putting up a year’s supply of food.  He concentrates on the vegetables grown on his own property as well as things he buys from local farmers’ markets or The Garden Basket in Markham.  Barry makes the most delicious soups and happily shares his recipes with fellow canners.  I’ve been fortunate to score many of his soup recipes and can’t wait to make them all!

RECIPE FOR BARRY’S SWEET POTATO SOUP:

• 2 large sweet potatoes
• olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 small onion
• 1 carrot chopped
• 1 celery chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary chopped
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 6 cups chicken broth
• red wine vinegar (2:1 oil to vinegar)

1. Peel and cube potatoes
2. Toss with 1/2 each oil, salt, garlic, and sm. amount rosemary
3. Add red wine vinegar
4. Roast on baking sheet at 450F stirring until tender, about 20 minutes
5. Heat remaining oil over medium-high heat, saute onion, carrot, garlic, rosemary, pepper, salt until softened; about 8 minutes
6. Add broth, potatoes and bring to a boil
7. Reduce heat, cover and simmer stirring occasionally for 20 minutes
8. Let cool slightly then puree in blender
9. Strain into clean pot and heat to boil
10. Bottle with 1 inch headspace and process in pressure canner following the directions in accordance with your pressure canner or the National Centre for Food Preservation.

The other really fun thing that we did at our canning party was to ask everyone attending to bring enough recipe cards for everyone of their favorite canning recipe.  This way we all had a brand new arsenal of recipes to try.  Many people put a lot of time and effort into their 4″x6″ cards decorating them with photos and fancy cut outs.  Here are just a few of them…

And, my friend Bonnie also made some recipe cards for you!!  So please feel free to download and share these Putting Up With The Turnbulls recipe cards and  hang tags with your family and friends.  They make an excellent hostess gift for all of your canning pals.

As our party progressed many of us were too full to walk home…but luckily we are a smart and prepared bunch.  Richard is the perfect example of a man who plans ahead and here he is happily getting a ride home.