Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Freezing Soup for Gifting


Today I’m giving you a peek into my freezer (and yes it does need defrosting) to show you how planning ahead can come in very handy during holiday time.  Anytime I make soup, I pour about half of it into glass jars (leaving 1 head space to avoid cracking during the freezing process), and attach labels indicating the name of the soup, the ingredients (for people who have allergies or simply don’t like one of the ingredients), along with a suggested use by date.  This way I always have something handy to grab and go when meeting a friend for lunch, or attending an impromptu gathering.

The labels are made with my handy dandy little Dymo LabelWriter 400, and I have to say that I love that thing.  They are high quality, always clear and easy to read, and manage to stick to just about anything.

Regarding the ingredient list, I can’t stress this enough.  I gave my dad a jar of Turkey Dinner Chowder.  I had no idea, really, that he only liked turkey in sliced-with-gravy-and-a-side-of-mashed-potatoes form.  When he returned the empty container to me and I asked how he liked it, he hesitated.  The conversation went something like this:

ME: Did you enjoy the soup?

DAD:  Well (hesitating), it was edible, but I wouldn’t order it out.

ME: Gee, dad, high praise, indeed!

DAD:  I knew I wasn’t phrasing that quite right.  What I meant to say was that I don’t like fowl soup.

ME:  Who does, dad, who does?

DAD: (Pretty flustered for a Yale man) I meant that I don’t like chicken soup or turkey soup, or chicken or turkey in any form other than it’s meant to be, sliced on a plate with potatoes.

ME: Noted.

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3 comments:

Lori E said...

This is a great idea....and if that is what you call "needs defrosting" I think my deep freeze is the North Pole.

Ivy, Phyllis and Me! said...

Good Evening Pattie, What a funny conversation you had with your father, bless him, he didn't want to hurt your feelings, but the words were not coming out as he intended.
Can I ask, do you find the soup freezes well in glass jars. I always freeze soup, but not in glass jars. I wasn't sure how the glass would react in the freezer, I just wondered if you used special jars.
Have a lovely evening. Best Wishes Daphne

GRC.Ltd.Design@gmail.com said...

Hi Pattie;
I want to can some of my soups, and I would like to try the Turkey Chowder. Have you ever tried with this recipe? What pressure setting do you recommend?
Many thanks & Merry Christmas!!