Regardless, I did read that you could can the base of your soup and thicken when served. No different than just canning potatoes or beef stew, right?
That being said, I just couldn't find a recipe for soup base; so I combined and altered several recipes.
Potato Soup Base Recipe:
8-10 lbs Idaho potatoes (my preference)
1 stalk celery finely diced
1 medium onion diced
1 Tbsp butter
5 quarts water
1 Tbsp chicken bouillon granules
Pepper
1 lb salty meat like ham or precooked bacon chunks
1 tsp salt per quart (to be added to individual quarts)
Peel and cut potatoes into large chunks.
Bring water, potatoes, and bouillon to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes.
Cook onion and celery in about 1 Tbsp butter or oil until tender. Add to potato mix.
Pack clean jars with hot potatoes, add 1 tsp. salt to each quart, then add liquid leaving 1 inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles. Make sure to wipe the rim of the jars and heat lids and bands with hot water.
Place into pressure canner. Fill canner about half way with hot water.
Pressure can at 10 pounds pressure for 90 minutes.
Makes about 7 quarts. If you run out of cooking liquid it is fine to just add more water to the jar.
The soup base has a yellow tinge to it due to the chicken bouillon, you could use chicken broth if you don't like the yellowish color (I probably will next time :)
When serving the soup you can either add a can of cheese soup, or make a roux out of 2 Tbsp. butter and 2 Tbsp. flour. Sprinkle some cheese and fresh chives on top to serve.
This is by far the best potato soup I have ever made or tasted! I had several people taste test for me and they LOVED it! This recipe makes a chunky soup. This recipe is a keeper!
Enjoy!
