Chicken Soup - It's Time

[CrealCritter]

Try and make a big batch of chicken soup from left over chicken carcasses about this time of the year to can for winter.

We freeze our left over chicken carcasses this year I had 6 carcasses to make into soup. City folks throw these away... But us country folks know what good is and try and not waste anything. Expecially if you grew it or raised it - like these chickens

Get a BIG pot and put frozen carcasses in the fill with enough water to cover the carcasses. Put on the stove to Bing to a boil.

Add spices - I sprinkle equal amounts to cover the top of the water. And just a touch of sea salt and pepper. I also added celery seed which is not pictured.

Then add diced onion and carrots

Cover and boil for a min of 2 hours.

I'll post more as the soup cooks - but man the whole house smells so good right now

Remove carcasses allow to cool then remove skin and pull meat off the bones and put meat back in the pot.

Save bones skin and other pieces for wife to make broth out of. Wife would have my butt if I threw that away. Freeze the bag.

Fish out any small bones with a slotted spoon. Then add I quart of turkey or chicken broth (that the wife made) plus 2 quarts of water and 16 chicken bullion cubes then bring back to a boil then simmer for another couple of hours.

I'll edit and add more as the soup cooks man this a huge pot of soup!

 

[wyoDreamer]

That soup looks good!
My favorite sound from the kitchen right now is the ping of a jar sealing, lol!
In a couple of weeks I will be butchering my cornish cross chickens. I plan to can Chicken 'N Dumpling and Chicken Stew bases along with the pints of dark meat and quarts of broth. So nice to have handy meals for the winter. Nothing beats getting home after work and having Chicken 'N dumplings for supper. My recipe takes almost 3 hours from scratch, but once it is canned, it is 15 minutes of prep for the dumplings and simmer for 1/2 hour while I do chores.

I always use a clean cloth dipped in vinegar to wipe the rim of the jars before putting on the lid. Vinegar will cut any fats, grease, etc. that gets on the rim. I like to hedge my bet to make sure everything seals. Just a habit I got in from following the Ball Canning recipes when I first started canning.

 

[CrealCritter]

First 20 pints are out of the pressure canner, pop, pop, pop pop - all jars have now sealed. I'm pretty happy with myself so far, but you know I have a really really good teacher I hope the next 10 pints currently in the pressure canner also turn out as good.

 

[Beekissed]

Was traveling today across the state and kept picturing creamy chicken soup all the way home. So, got some jars out of the pantry and started combing ingredients, made a creamy roux out of chicken fat, stock, flour and canned milk for the creamed part.

Right now I'm in the simmering stage but the smell is driving me wild! Crusty homemade bread to dip into it and we have a meal that would rival any one would find in a fine dining place.

So incredibly luxurious to be able to just shop in the pantry, put together a gourmet quality meal in a very short amount of time. We country folk sure do live the good life, don't we?

 

[CrealCritter]

Just finished jar-ing and put into the pressure canner. My wife tried to help me but I told her "honey look - I want to do this by myself, so I learn how to... You taught me now let me try and do it alone. I holler if I need you". Then we went trough the steps again and she went on the porch. I only had to holler at her because I couldn't find her stash of small mouth rings.

Ok 1st add 3 quarts of water to the pressure canner and just a splash of white vinegar. Then add the little platform thingy and ten pints of jars. Then the other little platform thingy and 10 more pints.

Make sure you run your finger around the rim before putting the hot lid on and only tighten down the ring finger tight... Got it

First 20 pints ready for the pressure canner

First layer of 10 in the pressure canner

Second layer of 10 in the pressure canner

Plus 10 more pints and less than a quart which gets a plastic lid and goes into the refrigerator for lunch next week. 30 pints + a little less than a quart = a little less than 4 gallons not bad... Atleast we won't be eating Campbell's chicken soup this winter...

Now I'm waiting for steam to come out of the little thingy on top of the pressure canner for 10 mins then I put the weight on the thingy and cook it at 12 to 15 lbs for 75 minutes.

What better time to clean up the kitchen than while babysitting the pressure canner. I best clean up before my wife had my hide...

 

[Beekissed]

Just think of all that pure food you guys are growing and eating. It's a luxury nowadays to have pure food that isn't tainted with this or that preservative, unpronouncable chemical, or commercially raised animal meat.

Whenever I open a jar of meat raised here I always think of how privileged I am to have food that hasn't passed through the USDA's idea of what is nutritious and good for you. Pure meat that has been eating pure food found on the land that it untainted with herbicides, pesticides or any other "cide".

It's a good feeling. You can bask in that as you babysit your canner and remember you are eating like royalty compared to other folks out there.

 

[CrealCritter]

Just think of all that pure food you guys are growing and eating. It's a luxury nowadays to have pure food that isn't tainted with this or that preservative, unpronouncable chemical, or commercially raised animal meat.

Whenever I open a jar of meat raised here I always think of how privileged I am to have food that hasn't passed through the USDA's idea of what is nutritious and good for you. Pure meat that has been eating pure food found on the land that it untainted with herbicides, pesticides or any other "cide".

It's a good feeling. You can bask in that as you babysit your canner and remember you are eating like royalty compared to other folks out there.

Thanks for mentioning that and you are so right! I was just sitting here thinking about that very thing.

Everything that went into this soup besides sea salt, black pepper and celery seeds was grown or raised by us. No "cides", "mones" or "biotics" were ever used. It's a real good feeling to know we'll be eating pure and healthy food that was raised and grown by us. We know what went in or didn't go in to it and that the most important part for us anyways.

It's like the beet juice my wife canned earlier this year. When I need a pick-me-up I pour a little in my lemonaid. It gives me a shot of long lasting energy. The sugar baby melons we grew has the same effect. You should see how the grand daughters bounce off the walls after eating some sugar baby watermelon. It's pretty amazing the amount of happy energy you can get out of some of the pure vegetables and I can rest assured that no nasty chemicals were used growing it. I should know... It grew it.

 

[CrealCritter]

Congratulations!!!

All 30 pints sealed amazing I must not have messed anything up during the pressure canning process.

 

[Peckadoodle]

Oh, that Turkey Soup looks sooo good...seems like it even smells good from here. We like Taco Soup made with good broth. Along with diced tomatoes, just add 5 C's: cabbage, carrots, corn, and coriander and cumin to taste. Top with Taco Chips. I also put pasta in ours, so am able to use a small amount of chips on top. We are having Taco Soup tonight.

 

[wyoDreamer]

Piece those huge turkeys out and roast the legs and thighs separate from the breast sections. The breast meat cooks fast than the thighs and by piecing and cooking only until you reach done temperature, you will have a perfectly cooked meal. Most of the Thanksgiving turkey that i have consumed had overcooked breast meat that was really dry. The time I pieced out the turkey because it wouldn't fit in my roasting pan, it turned out perfectly.