Why don't you post this on the cooking forum. They are always very helpful.

Shilty, I can everything I can when abundant to use in winter and also when I am short of time. Know what you mean by potatoes tasting less than fresh when canned. I find that just by canning the meat and broth it still goes a long way toward making for a fast meal when you need it. I also have canned carrots, and found a good receipt for canning celery in tomatoes. As for soups, when I freeze them, I find that pasta freezes best for tasting fresh. I often use rigatoni or penne, or some other pasta with some body to it. Dumplings, but their very nature, sound difficult to successfully freeze in broth without turning into sinkers.

Pork, well I don't know why people assume you need to cook your meat either plain or with kraut. I often cook a pork loin with potatoes, carrots and onions around it, just as I would beef. It's very pleasant. LIkewise with parsnips.

Hello Calliope - thanks for the comback... I will try the pork and vegetables. Good point on the noodles...

I'm aiming for one step readying for a small group of elderly who are still in their own homes. They range in age 85 - 90 plus, they no longer keep much of a kitchen, drive only in daylight and good weather, and if they feel good.

Its 10 miles to town. Hoping to manage for each household to have a small variety on hand for the really bad days, but I know it needs to be as simple to prepare as possible - thus the one-pot menu.

Margad - I'm a snob, I think. I've known most of these folks for a long long time and trust their advice - so I asked here.

Thanks again!
s

I know what you mean about potatoes. The only soup I like potatoes in is potato soup.
I'm not sure what kind of one meal containers or wrapping you'll be using but maybe TV dinner type meals? A Salisbury steak or meatloaf with roasted potatoes and green beens? Chicken breast, brown rice/whole wheat noodles and carrots?
Instead of a mild chili, perhaps regular or veggie lasagna, large stuffed shells with meat?
I know it's not very common but I would rather have barley in a soup than potatoes. Since it's easier and tastier to make one container meals/soups with just the meat and veggies, a hearty muffin or piece of cornbread on the side might be a good substitute for the carb and they freeze well. I also thought of homemade pot pies. I put about 10 different veggies in my beef veggie soup with no starches. It has so much body to it from all those veggies, the only carb I want is a nice crusty roll or crackers on the side.
Lots of real butter please,lol.
~di

Try out recipes for slow-cookers. Those that are liquid-y will pressure-can satisfactorily by letting the canning process complete the cooking; I found that 20 minutes of 10 lb pressure roughly equals 4 hours on Low of the slow cooker. Use extra [seasoned] liquid to be sure the jar is topped with 1/4 to 1/2 inch of liquid. IMO, the thicker recipes are usually better when frozen. If freezing individual portions of casseroles, you may need more topping than the original recipe calls for.

The only way I've found to keep good flavor when freezing potatoes is to mash with extra milk and butter [stir often while re-heating], or to have the potato portion covered with oil as for hash browns or french fries. Browned, oven-roasted potatoes are okay if used within a week.

Many frozen foods taste better when heated "slowly" in the microwave. A TV-dinner type dish that can be nuked in 7 minutes at high, will often have better texture and flavor if nuked at 20% power for 15 or 20 minutes. I usually nuke for 3 minutes on 100% followed by 12 minutes at 20%. I've discovered elderly neighbors often do not know how to set the micro for low power; write out step-by-step directions if they are only using the gadget at high power.

In all cases, be careful with herbs. While desirable and necessary for adding flavor, they do undergo changes in cooking or freezing. IMO, long-term freezing seems to strengthen the flavor -- a pinch of rosemary when frozen as part the dish, can end up over-flavoring a quart of squash. I learned that one the hard way, lol. Herbs that can be sprinkled over the portion can be folded into a tiny packet of plastic wrap for sprinkling as soon as the dish is re-heated. This works especially well when adding garlic/parsley to potatoes, or rosemary/marjoram to matchstick squash - just keep the herbs wrapped well and separated from their vegetable.

Hello Di

I had thought to use ordinary quart sized freezer containers for what I call one-pot meals, and soup canned in canning jars. I don't think some cream soups would freeze and thaw well. I haven't gotten further than beef vegetable soup and chilli.

I am assuming they will have bread on hand. I have no talent for baking bread.

Pot pies they could bake themselves in a conventional oven might work too. Thanks!

Real butter! (sigh)

Me too!

s

Thank you Meldy

I had wondered what about moisture/covering for the pressure canning. I will brown and slow cook the meat and broth on top of the stove, and add the vegetables to mix well, then put it in jars to cook/blend together there.

Its good to know about herbs, too.

I have some of those freezer to microwave sectioned plates. The food always gets covered with frost, and I worry about freezer burn. I use them for extra food and left overs when I'm sharing, and hope no one freezes them for very long.

Thanks again!

s

Frost and freezer-burn occur when the food is open to the circulating air (even if that air is circulating under the container's lid). Either vacuum-pack or press plastic wrap over the food surface, so that plastic not air is touching the surface -- this is easier to say than do with liquidy items, but worthwhile. I use 18" wide freezer-weight clear wrap over the food in the sectioned dishes; that width provides enough material to cover all the surfaces. the lid then goes on top but it really only provides a flat surface for stacking up the plates, lol.

Many cream soups are thickened with either cornstarch or flour, depending on the recipe. IMO, neither of those freeze/thaw well although many pasta recipes are fine, expecially those which have cheese in the sauce. If you use ClearJel in recipes calling for cornstarch, it is fine with freeze/thaw and excellent for freezing sauces and pies, although you may have to practice to obtain the amount of thickening you like. There are recipes that use soymilk instead of flour/ milk which might be more useful. Link is to one that I like, although I use tarragon instead of basil.

Here is a link that might be useful: cream of broccoli