Alton's Garden Vegetable Soup *pressure canned

...at the end of my 'can-o-rama' I had vegetables to use up...what a better way then to can up 7 pints of hearty pints of soup. **Update:  this soup is amazing! My husband says this his favorite so far and he also refers to it as 'his, Minestrone" (it just has no noodles, which you could add when heating to eat.)  I agree that this is a fantastic soup! Many disagreed on my putting fresh spinach in this for canning but, the spinach held up and held its taste!  I can't wait to make some more (my husband ate the last pint jar last night)  I am glad I took the time to adapt Alton Brown's Garden Vegetable Soup so that I could 'Can it' safely using the NCHFP Soup Guidelines. I hope you enjoy this as much as we do!  ~Enjoy! Diane 

Alton's Garden Vegetable Soup
*for pressure canning

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups chopped yellow onion
2 tablespoons finely minced garlic
a pinch of Kosher salt
2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped into rounds 
2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
2 cups fresh green beans, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
2 quarts chicken or vegetable; broth or stock
4 cups diced tomatoes; cored, peeled & seeded
1 Tablespoon tomato concentrate  
2 cups fresh baby spinach 
2 ears corn, kernels removed
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup packed, chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions
Heat the olive oil in large, heavy-bottomed stockpot over medium-low heat. Once hot, add the onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt and sweat until they begin to soften, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes, and green beans and continue to cook for 4 to 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the stock, increase the heat to high, and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add the tomatoes, spinach, corn kernels, and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the vegetables are fork tender, approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and add the parsley and lemon juice. Season, to taste, with Kosher salt. 

If wanting to Can:
Prepare jars and Canner for Pressure Canning. Using the NCHFP Soup Guidelines, use a slotted spoon, fill hot jars half-full with solids, topping off with hot broth, de-bubble jars and fill to 1 inch head space.
Process pints 70 mins/quarts 90 mins. (my timing is adjusted to account for the spinach being added) 11 pounds pressure (dial gauge) or according to your canner type and altitude. 

Recipe Adapted from: Alton Brown "Garden Vegetable Soup" 
Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home

Yield: Approx: 7-8 Pints 
UPDATE: I now add 1 pint red kidney beans to the soup *same process timing 

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