• 1 sweet potato, peeled and chunked
• 2 LARGE overripe zucchini (hard skin), seeded and skinned, and chunked
• 1 large yellow squash, chunked
• 3 large carrots, peeled and chunked
• 1 large onion, chunked
• 1 red pepper, seeded and chunked
• 3 cups chicken broth or water

Put in instant pressure cooker, and cook on low pressure for 15 minutes, or cook until the carrots are very soft on stovetop or in a crock pot.

Puree the vegetables with the broth.

Add

• 1 stick butter
• 1 package bacon, cooked and chopped
• bacon drippings from the whole package
• poultry seasoning
• curry powder
• parsley
• salt
• seasoning salt

Add seasonings until it smells right, and salt until it tastes right.

I can this in pint jars, and it is really good. It is similar to butternut squash soup, but you can taste the red pepper and the squash is milder in flavor.

NOTE: You can leave the zucchini unpeeled if they are less mature, but the color is HIGHLY unappetizing. You get more water in the soup because they are moister, if you use younger zucchini.

The flavor in this is ALL about the BACON. Falls River is the best I've used in it, but there are other bacons equally good (or superior). The real key is that it is good pork, and actually smoked, not just made with smoke flavoring added.

A Coddiwomple Farm Original Recipe!

So squash soup never sounded like a good idea to me, until my sister made a pot and served it up to family while visiting. I was hooked! When I started canning again, I just HAD to figure out how to can this delightfully tangy and savory soup!

I usually make this without the creamed corn, simply because I rarely have creamed corn in the house!

Butternut Squash and Bacon Soup garnished with sour cream. Photo kindly provided by Tammy Hardt.

Butternut Squash and Bacon Soup

• 2 butternut squash (about 2 pounds each), peeled, seeded and cut in 1-inch chunks
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 apple, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon Redmond Seasoning Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• black pepper, to taste
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock, or more, to taste
• Water as needed to keep moist.

Cook until veggies are soft - you can roast in the oven, pressure cook, crock pot them, or cook them in a pot on the stove.

Puree the veggies. Add water if you need to, so that it has the consistency you like (go a little thin for canning).

• 1 pkg cream cheese, well softened (you can microwave it for a minute to really soften it)

Add cream cheese to part of the soup and puree (I did this in a blender, put about 3 cups of the soup into the blender, added the cream cheese and blended till smooth), then add that back into the soup and stir it in.

• 1 lb bacon, cooked diced, fat reserved (or ham and more butter)
• 2 cans creamed corn - OPTIONAL (or 1 can whole kernel corn, with liquid, run in the blender for a bit, just to break up the kernels but not puree them - you want a bit of texture)
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 stick butter (1/2 cup)

Add the rest of the ingredients to the soup, including bacon fat, heat through again to meld flavors.

This can be canned, the cream cheese will hold up well. Sour cream may be substituted if serving fresh.