As long as there is enough liquid to let you meet the 1/2 and 1/2 rule in the jars I don't see any problems with it as long as it is pressure canned. If not then you'd need to add more liquid but it doesn't have to be water. You could use bouillon, meat broth or stock or even tomato juice. NCHFP processing times are a little different.

Just don't count on the vinegar too much as that isn't much vinegar for all that low-acid produce. I'd use 1 c bottled lemon juice instead - fresher taste, better color, and more acidic.

JMO

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP - Vegetable Soups

Thanks Dave for your quick response. I have the soup in the canner now. I feel pretty comfortable with it. I omitted the limas and only used 4 onions, so that increased the liquid ratio a little. Also looked a little more in the BBB, and felt the recipe was close to the Spiced Tomato Soup and Southwestern Vegetable Soup as far as ratios.

As I venture out beyond just pickles, tomatoes and green beans, sometimes I need reassurance from you guys.

Thanks so much.

Enough liquid for the 1/2 and 1/2 rule or did you have to add extra?

Dave

Dave - I expected to find the liquid and vegetables seperated when I took them out of the canner (like my pressured tomatoes usually look), but they were not. So the soup looks a little thicker than I had hoped, not 1/2 and 1/2, but not spaghetti sauce thick either. I did not add extra liquid. I think next time I will add water or beef broth to meet the 1/2 and 1/2 rule.

I still feel comfortable enough to eat it. I was looking at a few recipes in the BBB. Things like spaghetti sauce and the Spicy Tomato Soup are relatively thick (tomato based) and are still safe at those processing times. And it's not as thick as Annie's Salsa. But I know it's all about approved and tested recipes.

Thanks for your input!

Things like spaghetti sauce and the Spicy Tomato Soup are relatively thick (tomato based) and are still safe at those processing times.

True, but those also have higher proportions of more acidic vegetables, less low-acid vegetables, and smaller particle size so different density. It is the old "you can't safely generalize from one recipe to another" rule. ;)

I'm not saying your finished soup isn't safe. It may very well be but it also may not be. It is your choice of course. Just keep in mind for future reference that low-acid vegetable based soup jars are supposed to be no more than 1/2 vegetables and at least 1/2 liquids BEFORE they go into the canner.

Dave

I will surely add the additional liquid next time. I feel OK with it as is, of course I will boil it well when preparing just in case. Goodness knows I've eaten this soup a million times unprocessed (before I knew any better)! Or I may just stick to freezing - an hour and a half is a long processing time :)

Thanks again Dave.