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Butternut Squash Soup Base
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5 from 1 vote

Canning Butternut Squash Soup Base

Butternut squash soup base is a puree, heat and eat meal in a jar recipe that captures all the best parts about fall.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Author: Ashley Adamant

Ingredients

  • 5 lbs butternut squash peeled and cubed into ½ inch pieces
  • 2 ½ lbs red potatoes peeled and cubed into ½ inch pieces
  • 5 stalks celery chopped
  • 5 carrots chopped
  • 3 onions chopped
  • 2 tablespoons of salt
  • 3 quarts vegetable broth chicken broth or water*

Instructions

  • Wash the squash, onions, potatoes, celery, and carrots thoroughly. Peel the squash, carrots, and potatoes. Remove the seeds from the squash.
  • Cut the squash, celery, carrots, onions, and potatoes into cubes. 
  • Put the potatoes and squash in a large stockpot. Cover with water, then bring to a boil and cook for two minutes. 
  • Add the remainder of the ingredients. Mix to combine.
  • Put the hot vegetable mixture into jars, leaving an inch of headspace. Ladle boiling water over the vegetables, checking for the inch of headspace. 
  • Remove air bubbles and wipe the jars to remove food particles. 
  • Process in a pressure canner for 90 minutes (quarts) or 75 minutes (pints) at 10 lbs pressure. Adjust as needed for elevation, see notes.
  • Allow the canner to depressurize, then remove the lid. Remove the jars and allow them to cool for 24 hours before storing.

Notes

This soup base can be made in any type of broth or stock, or plain water. To fill the jars and cook the soup, you should need about 3 quarts of broth or water. Have a kettle heating on the side to help fill the jars if you run short of liquid. The jars should be filled to within 1'' of the top rim with liquid to ensure proper processing. (Make sure you have no more than 1'' headspace, but also no less than 1'' headspace.)

Serving Butternut Squash Soup Base

To serve, drain the water from the cans. The only downside to canning butternut squash is that it tends to be the wateriest of all the winter squashes, so you will need to strain the excess liquid before you do anything with it.
Then, puree in a blender for a smooth soup or mash with a potato masher for a coarse mix. Add a cup of cream or milk to the soup and heat, adding any other spices if desired (good choices are parsley, curry, ginger, and nutmeg).
Add a dollop of sour cream to each serving - and enjoy!
If you'd like to take your dinnertime game up a notch, you can add other ingredients to this soup or use it as a base for all kinds of different recipes. 
Use it in a casserole, as a pasta sauce, or even as a base for more complex soups (some popular options include a butternut squash soup with apple, kale, and bacon, or even a butternut squash soup with goat cheese and sage).

Altitude Adjustments for Canning Butternut Squash Soup Base

Canning time remains the same regardless of altitude. However, the processing pressure increases as altitude increases. 
Use the following table to determine the correct processing pressure if you’re above 1,000 feet in elevation.

For dial gauge pressure canners:

  • 0 to 2,000 feet in elevation – 11 lbs pressure
  • 2,001 to 4,000 feet in elevation – 12 lbs pressure
  • 4,001 to 6,000 feet in elevation – 13 lbs pressure
  • 6,001 to 8,000 feet in elevation – 14 lbs pressure

For weighted gauge pressure canners:

  • 0 to 1,000 feet in elevation – 10 lbs pressure
  • Above 1,000 feet – 15 lbs pressure