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. (reserve 2 cups for mixing with butter/flour)
4. Return to kettle, add lemon juice, sugar & salt.
5. Cream butter and flour together& mix thoroughly with two cups of reserved juice (chill so it’s cold), 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 (or water or chicken stock), and add 1/2 t. of baking soda per pint as it cooks (1 t. per quart) if using milk, this keeps the milk from curdling. I actually prefer to add chicken stock to mine instead of milk, I also omit the baking soda when using stock or water. 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?
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
I have canned salsa and spaghetti sauce so I thought I would check and see about tomato soup because we love it. This looks awesome but could you use a Vitamix to blend it all and then cook it for awhile before canning? That would leave the skin on too but pulverized.
to Lana'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 you can pressure can foods with flour and butter? I was afraid to can anything with flour or butter added to it b/c I read botulism can grow from the flour, etc. I wanted to can some soup myself but was afraid of this. I don’t like to pressure can something that doesn’t need it b/c I am afraid the excess cooking makes the taste altered and kills more of the nutrients. I’ll have to try this recipe if you have had success with it. Thanks so much for sharing as I just froze all mine as I was nervous about it, and this will be very helpful for future. Also, if chosing to use baking soda, would that be added when heating up, or can that be canned into the soup?
to Pumpkin, Pie, Painter'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
First, the USDA isn’t a monolith and there are people there who have reservations about GMO crops and chemicals used in currently conventional farming methods. Second, it’s not just the USDA that contributes to the recommendations for canning; the National Center for Home Food Preservation is housed at the University of Georgia and run by academics whose life’s work is food safety. Third, commercial canners can get their products to higher pressures (and therefore higher temperatures) than home canners can, so I wouldn’t use what they’re able to include in their products as an indication as what is safe in my own kitchen. (It’s also why canned gravy tastes bad.)
to Karla's comment
Yes, I understand that some people completely agree with the USDA standards – I do not and am perfectly comfortable using this recipe. Just like I’m perfectly comfortable drinking raw milk. I do not feel that all my food need to be boiled/processed to oblivion and I’m going to do my best to make all the processing (even home canning) as minimal as possible. You risks of getting sick from something you eat are far higher from eating restaurant salads and CAFO meats.
to Susy's comment
Oh, I see you answered my questions here. Thanks!! :)
to Pumpkin, Pie, Painter'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
[…] of watermelon rind pickles, we’ll see how those turn out. I think all I have left to can is some tomato soup, ketchup, and perhaps a batch of green tomato […]
to Squirreling Away for Winter | Chiot’s Run's comment
I’m working on canning veggie spaghetti sauce right now and will be making your tomato soup tomorrow! It sounds great!
to Sandy's comment
Do you cook the tomato/celery/onion mixture to reduce it? I don’t see that step in your recipe and wasn’t sure how this ended up concentrated unless you cooked some of the water out of it.
Also, is the two cups cold juice in addition to the 5 – 6 quarts or part of the 5 – 6 quarts?
Thanks!
to Sandy's comment
The two cups of juice are from the 5-6 quarts, I reserve it after putting through the squeezo. I cook the mixture for about 30 minutes until all the veggies are soft then put through the mill, it’s not necessarily a concentrated soup, you could probably eat as is canned without adding stock or milk, but I prefer mine with stock added so it’s not so strong. You do cook it for a while to heat & to add the butter & flour to thicken. I find that it’s usually quite concentrated enough without reducing. I’m sure part of it depends on what kinds of tomatoes you use as well. I usually use a mixture of romas and juicing tomatoes, if you used all romas it would be a stronger soup and if you used all juicing tomatoes it would be more watery or less strong.
to Susy's comment
Thanks! I’m getting it started in just a few minutes, so these clarifications are greatly appreciated.
to Sandy's comment
I made a tiny bit more and got 10 quarts out of it! Yummy!
to Sandy's comment
Glad you like it!
to Susy's comment
[…] bath canning would be safe. The jars on the left are the tomato soup jars. I used the recipe from Susy at Chiot’s Run. Susy does not typically pressure can this recipe, but I am a bit of a canning wimp and decided to […]
to The canning continues . . . | The 10 Year Challenge's comment
[…] Tomato soup. Note this one does not meet recent USDA standards for water bath canning because of the addition of butter and flour, however, people have been canning in that manner for years and years, no recall yet. […]
to Talking Tomatoes's comment
[…] blogged about my home canned tomato soup many times. It’s one of my most popular posts, people are always writing asking the recipe and […]
to Stocking the Pantry with Tomato Soup | Chiot’s Run's comment
Do you know how many pounds of tomatoes would be in a quart? I have 100 pounds sitting here, trying to parse out what is for what recipe. Thanks for the soup recipe!
to Sustainable Eats's comment
I made a double-batch last night, and next time I will reduce the flour and butter. It tastes a bit flour-y and I lost some great red color. I didn’t need much additional thickness even using all slicing tomatoes (Early Girl and Fantastic). Everything else is great about the soup. Thanks for the write-up.
to Nat West's comment
I like it thick and since I’m adding a quart of chicken stock or whey to each quart it really thins down.
to Susy's comment
[…] enjoyed the rosemary focaccia with tomato soup that I canned last summer from here, kale salad, and red wine, and the NBC Thursday night comedy block. It was […]
to Spice Rank Challenge January: Rosemary Focaccia « oh, briggsy…'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 dried herbs from the garden to finish it off. It made for a lovely dinner with a side of […]
to Real Food Recipe: Making Nail Soup « Not Dabbling In Normal's comment
Glad I found your site. Thanks! Canning your own tomato soup is really very delicious because you are assured that you are eating fresh and safe tomato soup.
to canning tomatoes's comment
Thank you so much for sharing the tomato soup recipe. I have had a bumper crop of Roma tomatoes, and it was fun putting up some tomato soup.
to Michelle G's comment
Thanks for the delicious recipe! Canned a bunch last week and just had the first taste for lunch — yummy. It turned out a little thinner than I would like, so next time I would reduce a bit more. The beauty of recipes — you make it the first time as is and then adjust it to fit your family’s taste. Thanks again!
to Stacey's comment
I use a 1/2 head of cabbage to thicken tomato soup and sauce. I cook it down, separate from the celery and onions. It does NOT impart a cabbage taste when mixed with tomatoes. This avoids the flour/oil issue with canning. I add the pulp after putting it through the food mill separately. Gradually add the hot cabbage pulp to the soup, as you would flour and butter. With the lemon juice in this recipe, there should be enough acid to enable you to safely use a Hot Water Bath process.
to Jessie's comment
I have also used apples, both to impart sweetness and avoid the sugar and to thicken the soup.
to Susy's comment
Hello! i made your tomato soup it is wonderful ! perfect in every way! I knew it was by the smell as it was being made it was going to be great,my 12 yr old grandaughter came buzzing out to the from bedroom and off the computor and ask me what smelled so good. that in it’s shelf is a is a major 4 stars for your soup!!!!!!!!! Thank so much
to deborah drake's comment
Great, so glad you liked it. It is a winner of a recipe!
to Susy's comment
Sounds absolutely delicious. I’m gluten-intolerant so will have to leave out the thickener anyway. I’ve made something similar and when ready to eat some I add a block of cream cheese instead of milk. Oh. Emm. Gee. So good we licked the bowls.
to Laurel's comment
I am a bit late to the comment party, but future readers who are gluten-free might be interested… anyway, I subbed 1 cup of tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour) for the flour and it works beautifully. I’ve not played with arrowroot starch (I had researched it, and found that it probably wasn’t going to serve my canning needs) or potato starch. I’ve also used 3/4 cup of corn starch. I like the texture/smoothness of the tapioca starch over corn starch.
This is my third season of using this recipe. I do pressure can it at 10 lbs for 45 minutes (sometimes I have a hard time regulating the pressure, so I just add on time to make sure). USDA recommendations aside, I’ve not made myself nor anyone else ill with the soup recipe or my canning pressure/time decisions.
Incredible recipe, easily adapted for your flavor preferences, and easy to convert to a gluten-free version by substituting your preferred GF starch.
to Rebecca's comment
Can you use arrowroot flour instead of all purpose flour?
to canning in owensound's comment
I’m guessing you could. One of my readers said that using a head of cabbage will thicken the soup. I’ve also made it without anything and it works well if boiled.
to Susy's comment
Well, your recipe is almost identical to one a friend gave me several yrs ago..its the most amazing soup. Last year I did some research and did it the way the “big guys” recommended, using clear jel and my pressure canner. It was just not the same, not as rich or flavorful. I had made it before with great results, no problems, shared it with friends and family. I am careful and clean and process my foods with the freshest best ingredients I can find. Mostly from my garden. I thank you; I am now confident that the recipe I got from my friend it the winner and I am going to use it from now on. Might consider thickening it as I reheat it..maybe not.
to Karen's comment
I am a Cooperative Extension Agent for Food Safety and this recipe/process is NOT safe! It contains low acid foods (celery and onions) and therefore MUST be pressure canned to destroy deadly C. botulinum spores. This is not an approved and tested USDA recipe and it also contains thickeners which slow down the process. For correct processing PLEASE refer to http://www.uga.edu/nchfp and see their guidelines on canning soup.
to Emily Campbell's comment
Thank so much for a great recipe. I tried a half batch minus the flour and butter and left a little out to try the next day. Everyone liked it, but thought maybe it seemed a bit watered down. So this time I sauteed the onions and celery in the butter, added the tomatoes, salt and sugar, again left out the flour , cooked and vitamixed. It is just delicious. Maybe I added a bit to few tomatoes the first time or to much water(mine are romas, so they shouldn’t be to watery), not sure, but am very delighted with the new batch and decided I would make them in pints. Great idea – love the inspiration you give! Blessings to you!
to Tracy's comment
All set to make this today! I was wondering if tomato paste would be an alternative thickener to the flour and butter?
to Anita's comment
It would probably make the soup too acidic. One of my readers uses cabbage for thickening.
to Susy's comment
I made this last night with about 2/3 C sugar and found it to be too sweet, hoping that upon reheating with milk it will lessen the sweetness. I’m not new to canning, but am slightly uncomfortable with canning this and have decided freezing is the way to go. Thanks for a great recipe
to Sherri's comment
I was wondering if tomato juice in those large cans could be used to make the soup? We love tomato soup and this recipe sounds great.
Thanks
to Robert's comment
I don’t like the fact that you didn’t tell people in advance that the USDA doesn’t recommend using flour or butter in canned goods.. Some people are new to canning and I feel they should know the facts and decide for themselves if they want to take the risk and can with theses items.. you are doing a disservice to those who are not educated in canning..wish there was a dislike button
to beverly's comment