Mom'S Best Tomato Soup Canning Recipe - cooking recipe

Ingredients

6 onions, chopped
1 bunch celery, chopped
8 quarts fresh tomatoes (or 5-6 quarts of juice)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup salt
1 cup butter
1 cup flour

Preparation

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).
Add to kettle& cook until tender.
Place this all through Victorio strainer (or similar).
Return to kettle.
Add sugar& salt.
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.
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.).
Ladle into jars& close securely with lids.
Return to canner & process 20-30 minutes (start timing when it's at a 'rolling' boil).
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).
.