My one complaint from this past summer of canning is that I did not make enough tomato soup. I was not in the mood for Tomato soup in July but I have been in the mood for it all Winter…..go figure….;)
So on my list of items to can for this coming summer is a lot more tomato soup. It is easy to pack for lunch as I can easily pack it in a mason jar and heat it up in the microwave at work and it goes great with any sandwich with the exception of peanut butter and jelly for me that is.
Did you know that tomato’s were thought of as poisonous and dangerous when they first came up on the scene and even once they did develop merit as an aphrodisiac they were still thought of as food for poor people and were even thought to cause cancer at one point in time. This is why I try not to let the “USDA” and other “Food Dictators” determine my choices but I try to do my own research and figure out what is good and healthy for me and my family. If I had listened to them when they were telling us all to eat only 2 eggs a week I would have been a sad camper because eggs are one of my favorite foods – even still with my chickens laying 5 to 7 eggs a day I never tire of them.
Here is my Tomato Soup Recipe – (Just remember if you make it and can it….can more than you think you will need because you can also use this in Italian recipes such as Beefaroni or Rice as well)
Lil’ Suburban Homestead’s Tomato Soup
Prepare Canner, Jars and Lids And Follow All Canning Times Per Ball Book
I use somewhere between 15 and 18 tomatoes (this isn’t super precise you just have to get it down the way it works for you)
wash and sort tomatoes
core all tomatoes
blanche tomatoes and slide skins off
I don’t strain mine because the seeds do not bother us so I just mash the tomatoes down as they cook with a potato masher and since I take the skins off prior I don’t have to use a food mill either although I have 2 I would rather do the work in advance
Place tomatoes in a large pan to cook down on top of stove. When all tomatoes have been cooked down add seasoning next.
I add about a tsp. of crushed garlic, 1 onion diced finely, salt and pepper to taste and dried herbs (I added a lot of homemade oregano and homemade basil), 1 tsp sugar (although next year I will add honey), and a 1/2 to 1 tsp of hot pepper flakes depending on how you like your zest.
Add a dash of Tabasco sauce and just about 1/8 tsp of celery salt to change-up the flavor but be careful with the salt you don’t want it too salty.
Cook this up for about an hour and then can as the Ball book tells you but don’t forget to add your TBSP. of lemon juice to each jar before you can it does not hurt the flavor of the soup at all.
If you cook this down to much it easily becomes Tomato Sauce so either way its win win!
Hope you enjoy my Tomato Soup Recipe and have a great Sunday!
Fondly,
This blog is linked up to the following wonderful blogs!
Hopefully this year will be better than last for growing Tomatoes in Ireland. Last year was cold and wet with a distinct lack of sunshine. I too want to make more Tomato soup!
Bridget we had a lot of rain last summer too one of the things I learned from a speaker at our Hobby Greenhouse group was to plant more cherry tomatoes…they do the trick just as well and don’t seem to fall prey as easily to bottom rot etc……I hope there are lots of tomatoes in your future! 🙂
Sounds divine! Will have to can tomato soup this summer when we go get our tomatoes! Thanks for linking up to the “Made From Scratch” blog hop my friend!
Lisa
The Way Grandmama Does It
Thanks Lisa! I took this picture Friday at work while I was eating my lunch another great thing about those Smart Phones! Just remind me this summer to can more than I want to 😉
Something about that tomato soup sitting in a canning jar looks so wholesome and tasty! I want to eat some if that right now! Thanks for sharing this with Sunday Night Soup Night, look forward to seeing you again soon.
Thanks Debbie! I will see if I can make some more soup too 🙂
We would be considered the poorest of them all back the based on how much tomato sauce we eat! Great article!
That’s awesome that tomatoes are a big part of your diet. My research on lycopene is telling me I need to ramp up my efforts this year. Thank you for visiting!