TOMATO SOUP (CANNING RECIPE)

I made this a couple of weeks back and I am finally getting around to post about it.  I always say life gets in the way and it truly does.  I stay so busy that I sometimes have a hard time finding the time to sit down and write or type a blog post.  It is not that I do not want to, it really is hard to carve out a bit of time to sit down.  Now with all that said....

We are bracing for Hurricane Florence in my neck of the woods.  Thank goodness it has been downgraded to a Cat 2 but you just never know.  I am saying all of that to say it is always good to have some stuff canned.  Oh, I know you can go to the grocery store and buy just about anything but have you given any thought to what is in that tin can you buy?  Or that frozen entree?  Think hard about what you are putting into your body.  Just last night our friend Matt stopped by and he another friend, Dusty that when he runs out of food he is coming to my house.  

I have never canned tomato soup.  I really have never thought about it too much either.  I do not know why because I love tomato soup with a grill cheese sandwich.  This year I decided to can some up so I may have it this winter.  Now, under no circumstances is this a recipe that will taste like Campbell's condensed tomato soup.  Or whatever brand you can buy in the store.  However, I will say that mine version is really good and it has none of those long worded preservatives that a store bought brand has in it.

This recipe has a nice flavor.  It is not all tomato taste but other veggies as well.  After making it I thought this would be a nice V8 juice or even a base like a vegetable stock.  

I started with a variety of homegrown heirloom tomatoes and chopped them up.

I put them in a large stock pot and brought them to a boil then I smashed them up with a potato masher. 

Next, I added onions.

Then I added celery and garlic.

I wanted a basil flavor so I added some fresh basil from my herb garden.

Then I threw in some parsley, again from my herb garden.

I let all of this come back to a boil and then simmered it for a few hours.  After I ran all of it through my food mill.

My food mill was passed down to me by my mom.  She has my grandmother's still.  I love this thing.  It is so nice to have.   It really divides the seeds and skins from the juice and pulp.

After I had all the liquid separated, I put it all back into my stock pot.  Of course, I washed out the stock pot before adding it back.  You need to allow this to cook down to the consistency you would enjoy as a soup.  

Again remember this is not a condensed soup so it will be ready to eat once you open and warm.  Which means it is much thinner than a condensed soup.

You can also freeze this soup if you prefer not to can.  Or you can divide it down to make it as a fresh soup to enjoy that day.  As always you may adjust the celery, onions, basil, garlic, and parsley.  Add what you wish to flavor it as you would enjoy.

To make this safe to can I added lemon juice. Yes, although this is a pressure can recipe I still added the lemon juice.  1 tablespoon per pint and 2 per quart.  

TOMATO SOUP

Ingredients

• 12 pounds tomatoes
• 4 cups chopped onions
• 2 to 4 cups chopped celery
• 6 to 8 chopped garlic cloves
• 1 cup fresh chopped basil
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• salt to taste
• lemon juice 

Directions

• Chop tomatoes and place in a large pot or stockpot.
• Bring tomatoes to a boil.  Add onions, celery, garlic, basil, and parsley.  Being back to a boil.  Then simmer for a few hours.
• Use a food mill to separate the seeds and skins from your liquid.  Place the liquid back into a clean pot or stockpot.
• Add brown sugar and bring back to a boil and simmer to the consistency you would enjoy.  
• Wash quarts or pint jars and add 1/2 teaspoon of salt per pint and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice along with the soup.  If you are using quarts use 1 teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.  
• Add soup mixture into jars.  Place lid and rings.  Tighten to figure tightness.  
• Pressure can at 10 pounds for 20 minutes for pints and 30 minutes for quarts.  If you mix and can pint and quarts, pressure can for 30 minutes.  

Please remember to check your area for the correct pounds to use when pressure canning.  Also, remember to go by the guidelines for your pressure canner.  Mine is an All American so I use 1 1/2 inches of water in my pressure canner.  

I know this will be a super yummy soup come winter time.  I love soups and stews in the wintertime.  I am not a cold weather person so warm food helps me make it till spring.  

ENJOY!!

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