Beef Barley Soup

I made a huge pot of soup last week so on Sunday I canned up what I didn't eat.  15 pints!

And since I had room in the canner I did 1 pint of smoked sausage from the freezer.

I had bought 2 packages of soup bones with the marrow in the middle and I roasted those in the oven.  Then I put them in my big pot and added water and some beef broth granules since I had no meat other than the marrow. 

I added a huge chopped onion, half a head of chopped garlic, carrot chunks, celery chunks and 2 cans of stewed tomatoes.  Once it got going I added in barley and some quinoa.  Sorry I don't measure much for soups so I have no idea how much of anything, just til it looks right to you.  I added black pepper, parsley, a pinch of cayenne pepper and 2 bay leaves.  I also threw in several cubes of frozen greens juice and one of beet juice.  When it was nearly done I did a taste test and added some salt.  

By the next day the flavors melded and it thickened up a lot.  I scooped some out into a container and added water at lunch time, popped it in the microwave for 2-3 minutes and it was tasty!  And filling!

On Sunday I took out the bones and put the marrow back in the soup and added water to thin it out to safely pressure can it.

Ready made soup without all the garbage in it and a perfect size for lunch or dinner.

The smoked sausage will go great with rice or fried potatoes & onions or in a gumbo.  It is about 3/4 of a package of the looped sausage.  Just cut in chunks and no added liquid.  The liquid you see is the fat from the meat.