Mom's Best Tomato Soup Canning Recipe

WJKing's Note:

My Mennonite mother's 'famous' tomato soup - hard to beat! Perfect anytime of the year! Enjoy! Here's what I purchased (for you to use as a baseline reference): - to yield 75 quarts of soup - 3 bushels of tomatoes, 6 lbs. butter, 5 lbs. sugar, 3 bunches celery, 5 lbs. flour. Hope that helps! (RECIPE BELOW IS FOR 8-10 QUARTS) (I make lots, and then frequently give this as a gift for a new mother, a hostess gift (when invited to dinner), a get-well meal, etc..) Super quick - easy to make, and can easily add garlic bread and a salad and dessert for a quick meal to bless someone. ENJOY!

• Total Time: 1 hrs 50 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs
• Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 8 quarts

• 6 onions, chopped
• 1 bunch celery, chopped
• 8 quarts fresh tomatoes (or 5-6 quarts of juice)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup salt
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup flour

Directions:

1. Chop onion& celery.
2. Place in large kettle w/ just enough water to keep them from burning.
3. While this simmers, cut tomatoes (remove stems if not using strainer).
4. Add to kettle& cook until tender.
5. Place this all through Victorio strainer (or similar).
6. Return to kettle.
7. Add sugar& salt.
8. Cream butter and flour together& mix thoroughly with two cups of COLD juice, until dissolved (or blend together in a blender), to avoid lumps of flour in the juice.
9. Add butter/flour mixture to warmed tomato juice. (Add before it's hot, to avoid lumps of flour!).
10. Stir well.
11. Heat just until hot. (If it gets to a boil, it can make the flour lumpy).
12. Just prior to boiling, turn off the burner. (It will continue to thicken as it cools.).
13. Ladle into jars& close securely with lids.
14. Return to canner & process 20-30 minutes (start timing when it's at a 'rolling' boil).
15. Remove from canner & allow to set until sealed (approx. 12 hours) To serve, mix equal parts tomato concentrate to milk, and add 1/2 t. of baking soda per pint as it cooks (1 t. per quart).
16. .

Reviews

[Zeldaz]

This is not a review, but an observation. It sounds good enough for 5 stars to me, but I have not tried it yet, but I hope to try it soon. What I am about to say is in no way intended as a criticism of the recipe, but a point of information only. Anyone planning to can it should be aware that, according to current USDA standards, the use of starches in home-canned products is not considered safe, even if processed in a pressure canner for 75 minutes. The butter is another problem, too. Freezing the soup as it is written is a safe option, or adding the butter and flour to thicken it after opening the jar is another. There are many many heirloom recipes which are no longer considered safe without some simple changes. For instance, today's tomatoes have been bred to be less acidic than the old time ones, so acid must be added to them in many recipes. There is a canning forum on RecipeZaar that is very helpful with recipes and safety issues for those who would like more information.

[Molly53]

This appears to be an heirloom family recipe from the contributor's grandmother's time.

The guidelines have evolved over the years based on laboratory research. What once were perfectly acceptable canning practices and recipes might not be so anymore.

If you're following current USDA/NCHFP (US National Center for Home Food Preservation) recommendations for shelf-stable food storage safety (updated in 2009), they no longer recommend canning things with flour as a thickener. Likewise, butter and dairy products.

If you do decide to can this soup, I'd suggest you pressure can it. As one of the reviewers said, "This soup was extremely good...heaven in a bowl. Like another reviewer mentioned, I would NOT recommend canning this in a water bath...I canned it in a pressure cooker for 30 minutes at 10 pounds pressure."

[farmchick #2]

I made this today and had some for supper. It was very good. I did the same amount of veggies, reduced the sugar by 1/4 (maybe even less next time) and cut the salt a bit as well. I was canning this so I didn't add the butter or flour. For supper I sprinkled with cheese and threw in 1/4 cup dried milk. The kids both seemed to love it. I just pureed everything in the food processor, cooked it, and pureed again. Good, quick and easy... I got a little over 7 quarts in the first batch.