From the Garden...Home Canned Split Pea Soup

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This soup is one of our absolute favorites to can.  Perfect to serve on a busy day; just add bread or crackers and some fruit.    I make sure I never run out…I usually double the recipe so I cut my mess in half. 

To get a head start, I assemble my canners, clean jars, other equipment, and cut up my veggies and put them in the refrigerator the night before.    I have to ask for ham shank at my grocery store meat counter; if you can’t find one, try ham hocks or just 2 cups of ham, diced.  

You don’t have to soak the peas, a real timesaver.  I actually don’t add the vegetables to the pea mixture as the Ball recipe calls for; I add them raw to the jars, and then cover the meat and veggies with the hot pea soup mixture.   Be sure you remove bubbles from the mixture if you do it this way, by stirring it with a plastic knife or chopstick.   

Home Canned Split Pea Soup

  1          Pound  Split Peas -- dried

  2          Quarts  Water

  1          Ham Shank-- (1 1/2# shank) (2 cups chopped meat)

  3          Ounces  Onion -- chopped

  4          Ounces  Celery -- 1/2" slice

  8          Ounces  Carrots -- 1/2" slice

  1          Bay Leaf

Combine the  peas, water and hock; bring to boiling.  Cover and simmer 1 hour, remove bay leaves and hock; trim off and chop meat and return to soup, (or keep it to divide among your jars).  Meanwhile, add vegetables (or save them to divide among the jars) and continue cooking 15 minutes or until peas are just tender.  The consistency will be thin.

Wash jars, heat in boiling water for 10 minutes, keep in simmering water until filling.  Heat lids in hot water for 10 minutes until ready to use.  DO NOT BOIL LIDS.

Divide ham and vegetables among jars if they are not in your mixture.  Pour hot mixture into hot jars, leaving 1-inch head space.  Remove bubbles with plastic knife and wipe jar rim carefully with hot wipe before sealing.  Cover and seal, place in pressure canner (with about 3 quarts simmering water), exhaust steam 10 minutes, process in pints 1 hour and 15 minutes at 10#.  Let pressure drop of own accord (30 minutes), open canner, remove jars to clean towel and let cool and seal, setting apart to allow air to circulate.  Remove rings and wash jars carefully.

Equipment:  Stock pot or Dutch oven, chopping board, pressure canner, 13 x 9" pan with paper towel for jar filling, jars, lids and rings, funnel, lid magnet, jar lifter, plastic knife, 2 cup measure for lids, 4 quart measure for water, clean towels, stock pot to keep jars warm if necessary.

To serve, add 1/4 cup water to emptied jar, rinse jar and add to soup.  If desired, add some shredded fresh spinach just before serving.  Heat and eat.  Each jar makes two 1-cup servings.

Cost in 2014:  75¢ per pint or $4.47 per canner load.

  "2006 Ball Blue Book"

Yield: 6 Pint Jars