Garden Tomato Soup-Canning

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. 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. 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. 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. 4

   Pour soup into quart jars and can in a pressure canner for 25 minutes at 10 pounds pressure.

5. 5

   Yield: 6-7 quarts, depending on size of tomatoes.