Canning soups made with milk

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I had a friend ask me today about canning soups made with milk. Seems she made an awful lot of potato soup and wants to preserve it by canning. I have never heard of anyone doing this and none of my canning books has anything on it either. Doesn't sound safe, does it? Anybody know?

-- Melle Jan (janado@msn.com), October 18, 2001

Answers

You can't can milk, so soups wiht milk should be the same. The USDA doesn't recommend canning anything with milk in it. I would make the soup, then when you open the jars to prepare it, add the milk then.

-- Wendy Antes (phillips-anteswe@pendleton.usmc.mil), October 18, 2001.

Could she put it in freezer containers and freeze it? We have two freezers so I usually have plenty of space. Since the potatoes have been cooked it won't hurt to freeze them.

-- Kim in Indiana (kwcountrygirl@aol.com), October 18, 2001.

I don't know about canning soup with milk in it but I have canned both cow's and goat's milk for years and had no trouble with it. Is there a reason why it shouldn't be canned? Mother

-- Mother (mother@sanasys.com), October 18, 2001.

Strange, I have never heard that the USDA said don't can milk. It does best if canned in hot water bath and needs to be done for an hour, but I think with potato soup I would do it in the pressure canner. I have canned potato soup with milk in it and it does just fine.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), October 18, 2001.

According to the USDA, the average home canner cannot produce the heat required to safely can milks. I'm not saying it can't be done, or people don't do it, and have no negative reactions. I just found out that your not supposed to steam can, and that's how I've been doing all my fruit juices and jams and peaches. I still don't understand how THAT doesn't create enough heat. You would have to process it for so long, to, that it wouldn't be cost effective, either. Not to mention the long tims and heat would cause discoloration, and I would think the taste after all that would be pretty ack. Contact your local University extention. They will deffinately have all the necessary info for you.

-- Wendy Antes (phillips-anteswe@pendleton.usmc.mil), October 19, 2001.


It would be safe to pressure can it, water bath canning can only achive 212 degrees, the boiling point of water; pressure canning achives much higher temps than 212 degrees due to the temperature increasing the effects of steam applied under pressure. These higher temps are needed to kill botulism bacteria that are present in ALL non acidic food products.

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), October 19, 2001.

Thank you all. I have passed this info on to her and she's going to try it. I'll let you know how it turns out. I'm interested myself. (She doesn't have a freezer and with the way the electricity's reliability is out here, it isn't the best storage solution.)

-- Melle Jan (janado@msn.com), October 19, 2001.

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