How to Can Homemade Soup

1. Make the soup using your favorite recipe, however, make sure the ingredients, particularly the vegetables, are as fresh as possible so they will stand up to the extreme heat of the canning process.

2. Wash the jars and lids in hot soapy water or in a dishwasher. Make sure that all residue from the detergent has been rinsed washed away as it can not only affect the flavor of the food, it can also cause discoloration.

3. Pour soup into the jars leaving about one inch of space at the top of the jar and wipe any soup residue away from the outside of the jar.

4. Put the lids on the jars and just barely tighten the rings so that they are snug but not twisted down completely onto the jars.

5. Place the jars into a canning rack in your pressure cooker. The jars should not be touching either the bottom of the pressure cooker or each other.

6. Fill the pressure cooker with water half way up the height of the jars. Twist the lid of the pressure cooker on tightly and process for 1 1/2 hours; allow the pressure to return to zero before opening. See the resource included with this article to check for altitude pressure adjustments.

7. Check the seal on the jars after they have cooled to room temperature by pressing on the center of the lid to see if it is indented and does not make a popping sound. Discard any that are not properly sealed.

8. Take off the rings and wash off any residue that may have been deposited, and replace the rings. Some cooks do not replace the rings, but you'll probably feel more secure about your soup if you feel the jar is completely sealed.

9. Label the jar with the name of the contents and the date that it was processed and store in a cool, dark place. Make sure you use your canned soup within nine months of when it was canned.