Canning Tomato Soup
My tomato harvests have been ramping up now that the warm weather is here. On Sunday I harvested over 28 pounds of tomatoes. With this many tomatoes it’s time to start canning. The recipe I’m starting with is tomato soup. I made this last year it was by far our favorite canned item. We finished off all of the jars earlier this spring, so this year I need to can more than I did last year (31 pints).
I’m particularly excited about this soup because this year I grew my own celery. I also started a lot of onions, but onions are one of those things that don’t do all that well in my garden, so I’ve been buying them at the farmer’s market.
TOMATO SOUP
6 onions, chopped
1 bunch celery, chopped
8 quarts fresh tomatoes (or 5-6 quarts of juice) *I coarsely chop mine in quarters leaving the stems on them since I’m putting them through a food mill.
1 cup sugar (I find this is too much and I use less usually 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup salt (I usually add 2 T and then taste before I add more)
1 cup butter
1 cup flour
1/4 cup lemon juice
Directions
1. Chop onion& celery. Place in large kettle w/ just enough water to keep them from burning. While this simmers, cut tomatoes (remove stems if not using strainer).
2. Add tomatoes to kettle& cook until tender.
3. When tender put through Victorio or Squeezo (or similar food mill) strainer.
4. Return to kettle, add lemon juice, sugar & salt.
5. 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. Add butter/flour mixture to warmed tomato juice. (Add before it’s hot, to avoid lumps of flour!). Stir well.
6. Heat just until hot. (If it gets to a boil, it can make the flour lumpy). Just prior to boiling, turn off the burner. (It will continue to thicken as it cools.).
7. Ladle into hot jars with 1/4 headspace, close securely with lids.
8. Put in canner & process 30 minutes (start timing when it’s at a ‘rolling’ boil).
9. 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). I actually prefer to add chicken stock to mine instead of milk & baking soda. I serve with a sprinkle of freshly grated romano cheese, a sprinkle of cayenne and a little freshly ground black pepper.
**Some people say this isn’t long enough in a canner, some people say you should only pressure can this recipe. I’m happy with it and am quite comfortable making it and processing it in this way. If you’re uncomfortable with this method use whatever canning method you’re comfortable with.
What’s your favorite home-preserved garden food?
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I’m just starting to preserve, but I think so far I love my friend’s tomato soup and her peach jam. Toss up between the two – they are both very fresh and summery, and in the winter that is priceless. Somehow the tomato soup is especially welcome, as its warm and filling too, and can itself be a base for many other soup varieties and mix-ins.
Mangochild´s last blog ..The Impact of “Kitchen Gardening”
to Mangochild's comment
Salsa. Which I may not get to make this year. Stupid blight.
kristin´s last blog ..All Is Not Lost
to kristin's comment
I have been working hard to get more salsa on the shelf than last year, since we ran out way too early.
Soup is a great idea. Last year I made some roasted tomato soup and froze leftovers. It was so comforting and summery to eat in the dead of winter–this post inspires me to make a BIG BIG batch and freeze a bunch of it. That’ll use up some more tomatoes, yay!.
s´s last blog ..overload
to s's comment
I just spent this past weekend canning with my best friend for an entire afternoon. She had just gone on a road trip, and stopped by several “pick your own”s on the way back. I think we canned 12 quarts of tomatoes, and the same number of pints of blueberry jam (she had actually picked nine gallons of blueberries!). So delicious.
Christine´s last blog ..So busy around here
to Christine's comment
Wow – can I just say…I”m totally and completely jealous of your tomatoes. They look amazing!!!! Ours were pathetic this year….none of our seedlings made it, and then we were given plants by my MIL from the nursery she works at. Of course they’re now all infected either with blight or septoria (most likely).
Luckily our CSA is more than making up for that!
Sherri´s last blog ..the winner is…
to Sherri's comment
you read my mind1 thanks for the recipe :)
to deedee's comment
Ditto on Deedee’s ‘thanks’!
So far my favorite thing to can this summer has been salsa because we’re growing the tomatoes and the peppers to go in it (onions were store-bought) but this was our first year EVER having enuf tomatoes to make and can sauce….yippee yahoo :)
Now if I can just harvest the amount needed for this recipe…I’m makin’ soup!!!
to maureeen's comment
sounds delicious and those tomatoes are so beautiful. Aren’t high acid foods the ones that don’t have to be pressure cooked?
michelle´s last blog ..Sunflower Fields Forever
to michelle's comment
Yes, but some people say that since it has flour and butter in it that it should be pressure canned.
to Susy's comment
So far this year it’s bread and butter pickles. But your soup looks pretty tempting! Thanks.
Lexa´s last blog ..The Farmer’s Market
to Lexa's comment
I’ve been making all different kinds of pickles as well.
to Susy's comment
Your recipe sounds intriguing…making a concentrate like supermarket canned soups. I’ve never seen anything like that before.
If you were to follow the USDA’s recommendations to the letter of the law, you’re not supposed to can with ANY starch, dairy or fat, period (except maybe a tablespoon or so of oil for softening veggies in a soup). The only exception to the rule is “Clear Jel,” a modified corn starch that apparently can withstand the heat of canning. It’s used mostly in recipes for ready-made pie fillings and produces a clear thickened liquid like corn starch would.
As an experimental person, this aggravates me, not be cause of the rule itself, but because they don’t ever give the scientific reason why and we know that commercial canners do use starch (canned gravy, etc.). I’ve done some Googling and the best I can come up with is that “the starch or oil interferes with the heat transfer during the canning process and you can’t guarantee all the bacteria’s been killed,” and “the starch can’t withstand the heat of canning.”
Both of those are pretty poor explanations, in my opinion. Nonetheless, I stay away from starch and too much oil in my canning. If I’m making a thickened soup, I often package it with a “thickener packet” (1 tablespoon of flour in a plastic bag) to be added before reheating. Seems to work very well.
Honestly, I think the USDA is just paranoid and doesn’t want the responsibility of someone mucking with recipes on their watch. So, they go a bit overboard.
to Justin's comment
I agree, I find it difficult to think that the USDA is looking out for my best interests when they see nothing wrong with genetically modified crops and crops sprayed with roundup and other chemicals. Yet they think I shouldn’t can tomato soup with some butter & flour in it.
to Susy's comment
I’m just learning to can and preserve this summer & tomatoes are at the top of my list. I have a question about quantity. How many jars did you get from this recipe?
Ashley´s last blog ..Good Eats: Il Cane Rosso
to Ashley's comment
I got 9 quarts from this recipe. The recipe itself states 8-10 quarts.
to Susy's comment
Mine? Oh, jam. Lots of jam. Jam and more jam. I only wish I’d had a bumper crop of apricots this year. Maybe next year.
stefaneener´s last blog ..Maybe I should stop now
to stefaneener's comment
When you say 8 qts tomatoes, should I just be filling my 2 qt bowl with whole tomatoes 4 times? Is this about 1/2 a bushel? Do you mean chopped/peeled tomatoes? Help!
Amy F´s last blog ..To Peter, during your first week of kindergarten
to Amy F's comment
I fill my 2 quart pyrex with chopped tomatoes. Since I’m putting mine through a food mill I chop them very roughly and don’t even remove the stems.
to Susy's comment
I tried this recipe and it was so completely delicious. I halved it because I didn’t have enough tomatoes and it still turned out great. I even added a teaspoon of fresh coriander seeds since I didn’t have celery on hand. I was licking the bottom of that pan like Winnie the Pooh in a honeypot. Since I’m new at canning and I didn’t have all my ducks in a row at that point (aka. jars) I froze it. I just heat my soymilk, add my tomato cube and wait for the incredible feeling that comes from warm soup on a cold day. Thank you.
to Marcia's comment
I know, I made twice as much this year to can as I did last year. We should be able to eat it often!
to Susy's comment
[...] winter, so soup is as welcome meal for lunch or dinner. We have a lot of favorites, one being the tomato soup I canned many quarts of this summer. We also like chicken stew with dumplings, butternut squash and [...]
to BRRRRR… It’s Soup Season | Chiot’s Run's comment
[...] Your Own: Butter Make Your Own: Preserved Lemons Make Your Own: Ketchup Make Your Own: Sauerkraut Make Your Own: Canned Tomato Soup Make Your Own: Sourdough [...]
to A Few Resources for the Real Food Challenge « Not Dabbling In Normal's comment
[...] have to be cooking/eating as many different dishes. For example, when I make tomato soup I use my home canned soup (made with tomatoes, celery, onions, parsley) and I add equal parts chicken stock and some butter [...]
to Making the Most of Time in the Kitchen « Not Dabbling In Normal's comment
[...] can be on the table within 15-20 minutes after arriving home. One of our favorite quick meals is homecanned tomato soup. Eggs also make the perfect quick meal, you can prepare them in all kinds of ways that are perfect [...]
to Being Prepared = Saving Money | Chiot’s Run's comment
[...] have to be cooking/eating as many different dishes. For example, when I make tomato soup I use my home canned soup (made with tomatoes, celery, onions, parsley) and I add equal parts chicken stock and some butter [...]
to Making the Most of Time in the Kitchen | Chiot’s Run's comment
I am just new at this canning, I am wondering if you have other recipes that you will or have shared with the other ladies? The soup sounds wonderful. Thanks bonnie
to BONNIE BAIER's comment
Thanks for commenting. I like the recipes in Well-Preserved: Recipes and Techniques for Putting Up Small Batches of Seasonal Foods, they’re quite good. I tried many of them for the first time this past summer and enjoyed all of them (except I’d add caraway & mustard to the pickled cauliflower). I have a few other canning recipes on this blog:
a few of my grandma & great granmda’s recipes, which I haven’t tried yet. Here’s one for elderberry syrup that is fantastic. Also here are some preserved lemons I made (no canning involved). I made jalapeño jelly as well which is delicious on bagels with cream cheese, or added to chili & sloppy joes. I also made a few different kinds of pickles that I blogged about: quick Dutch Lunch Spears and Fermented Pickles. I also made canned fire roasted red peppers that were fantastic! And a batch of homemade ketchup that was out of this world (recipe for this from: Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It: And Other Cooking Projects)
I’d recommend looking through the books:
The Joy of Pickling, Revised Edition: 250 Flavor-Packed Recipes for Vegetables and More from Garden or Market
Well-Preserved: Recipes and Techniques for Putting Up Small Batches of Seasonal Foods
Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
to Susy's comment
I like the Tomatoe Soup recipe but do not know why you add the baking soda. Also, can the recipe be done safely without the salt?
Thanks,
Brian
to Brian Whiting's comment
I don’t add the baking soda because I warm it up and add chicken stock instead of milk. I believe you add the baking soda to keep the milk from curdling because of the acidity of the soup. I’d add a little salt since it does help with preservation, I find that I add the lower end of the salt called for in the recipe and less sugar as well.
to Susy's comment
[...] soon it was smelling quite delicious. After cooking in a pot for a few hours, I added a jar of my homecanned tomato soup and a few herbs from the garden to finish it off. It made for a lovely dinner with a side of [...]
to Making Nail Soup | Chiot’s Run's comment
i haven’t tried your recipe yet ,but i will soon and i will come back to tell you what i think. i came across your recipe when asking how much time to process tomato soup and i thank you for that. i would like to share in return. i just bought a jack la lanne’s juicer. i got to thinking as i was pealing my tomatoes,i wonder what i would get if i took peals off and run the tomatoes through my juicer. i got the most beautiful thick tomato soup. so if you have a la lanne juicer.it works well and saved time .my soup has no seeds as well. so its something to think about. again thank you and happy canning
to carlene ryder's comment
Thanks for stopping by, i think you’re going to LOVE the soup. I have an old Squeezo juice that my mom gave me.
to Susy's comment
Hello there,
I came across your site because I am interested in starting to can once we get a good crop (probably next summer). I am very into eating REAL food. I do have a question. How long do these soups stay good for in the can? Thank you for posting this and I look forward to trying it in the future! :)
to Jennifer's comment
Generally canned goods will stay fresh for a year or so, as with other preserved items they don’t necessarily go bad, but they start losing taste. Usually we eat up all the soup within a year, this year we have 2-3 quarts left from last year’s batch, they’ll be gone soon. Usually with items like beans, soup, tomatoes, etc you can count on them being good for about a year or 18 months.
Jams, jellies and chutneys will usually be OK for 2 years as I find for fruits canned in sugar syrup as well.
to Susy's comment