Garden Tomato Soup-Canning

Posted in response to a request for soups to can. Adapted from The USDA Canning site. The source was told to come from The Best of Friends Cookbook.

• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
• Yields: 6-7 quarts

Ingredients

• 36 -40  ripe tomatoes (skins removed and quartered)
• 4 -5  stalks celery & leaves, chopped
• 1⁄2 green pepper, chopped
• 1⁄2  red pepper, chopped
• 5  medium onions, chopped (If you have a food processor, use it to chop the celery, pepper, onions)
• 1  tablespoon dried parsley
• 5  garlic cloves, minced
• 3  whole cloves
• 1  bay leaf
• 8 -10  whole peppercorns
• 1⁄4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

• BUTTER SAUCE

• 1⁄3 lb butter
• 1⁄4 cup salt, to taste

• BROWN SUGAR PASTE

• 1⁄2 cup brown sugar
• 1  cup flour

Directions

1. Put all of the ingredients in a large kettle. Bring to a boil, turn down to simmer and cook until the celery is soft, about 15 minutes; then add the butter sauce and brown sugar paste.
2. Mix the sugar and flour together in a bowl. Add enough of the hot soup to make a paste, then stir this into the hot soup and bring to a boil until soup thickens, about 10-15 minutes.
3. If the soup is thicker than you prefer, add a little water. Adding the red pepper flakes makes the soup zingier. If too sweet, add a little more salt.
4. Pour soup into quart jars and can in a pressure canner for 25 minutes at 10 pounds pressure.
5. Yield: 6-7 quarts, depending on size of tomatoes.