Q and A: Stewed tomatoes, Canning chicken soup, and Chickens losing feathers

Stewed tomatoes

I hot packed 7 pints of stewed tomatoes at 10# pressure for 15 minutes. I added 2 Tbsp. of thin sliced carrots on a whim! Are they safe to eat?

Karen Gregory
Ontario, New York

They are probably fine, although it is not a good idea to add extra vegetables to a high acid food recipe. For example, don’t add extra peppers and onions to salsa recipes, or extra mushrooms to a spaghetti sauce recipe, etc., as it can affect the acidity and processing time required for each food. If you only added 2 Tbsp. to the whole batch, I wouldn’t worry, but if you added 2 Tbsp. to each pint, I’d be more concerned for the safety of the product…and your family. When in doubt, throw it out. — Jackie

Canning chicken soup

I have 2 questions. Can I can raw chicken soup? I was thinking of putting 1½ cups diced chicken, 1½ cups raw corn, ½ cup diced onion into quart jar and pouring hot chicken broth on top. Then pressure can for 90 minutes. My next question, I canned cheese according to the directions in your book in December and now some of the cheese in the jars (which sealed) have white film on top. What is the white stuff and do you think this cheese is still safe to eat?

Cynthia Hartung
Beaverdam, Virginia

It’s easier to simmer the raw chicken until it is tender, then debone it, dice it, and make up your soup with raw corn, onion, and the broth from cooking. Raw chicken doesn’t dice up nicely, and by pre-cooking it, it will appear nicer in the jars. The white film is probably grease from the cheese. If the jars are sealed and the cheese appears and smells okay on opening it, it should be fine to eat. — Jackie

Chickens losing feathers

First year raising chickens for eggs and loving it. We have 3 production reds, 3 Rhode Island reds, 3 black sexlinks, and 2 of a smaller breed. The main coop house has 48 sq ft and the pen has 128 sq ft. One or more of the production reds are plucking the other breeds. We are feeding them layer pellets and lots of garden scraps. Is it true that free ranging chickens are less likely to do this? My long term plan is to fence in a larger area for them to access while we are at home. What can I do in the short term? Should I be concerned?

Ron in Missouri

Are you sure that your naked chickens are being picked? This time of year, many birds are in molt and look like the very wrath of God, ours included. Not all birds molt at the same time, nor do all get as bald as some do. Soon they will begin to grow out new feathers and once again look pretty and smooth for winter. Yes, free range chickens pick each other much less than do confined birds. If you have aggressive birds picking on others, giving them a larger coop and pen may be your only answer, short of separating the birds or selling/butchering the aggressive ones. If they’re only picking feathers, I wouldn’t worry too much, but if they’re drawing blood, this can lead to cannibalism. — Jackie