By the middle of May, here in Minnesota, our average high is 70F. This weekend we had several inches of rain with temperatures between 40F and 50F. Now, I’m not one to stay inside on a typical day, rain or shine. In fact, I very much believe in dressing for the weather and enjoying the outdoors regardless, but the cold rain this weekend (after we had beautiful, sunny weather in the 80’s) seemed to incapacitate me. All I could think of was Mom’s homemade tomato soup. The perfect comfort food on a chilly, rainy day. Family time, family history, and family traditions have always been very important to me. Family recipes are just as special. There is nothing better than those delicious family recipes that have been passed down through the generations. They are special not only because they are delicious (Hey, we keep them around for a reason, right?), but because of the memories that come along with those recipes. I grew up in a family that always enjoyed having a vegetable garden. We spent our short, Minnesota growing season planting, weeding, harvesting, and enjoying the fruits of our labor. Tomatoes were one of our favorite, and we were always sure to harvest all of the green tomatoes in the fall before the frost touched our precious fruit. After harvest, we would let them ripen in the sun on the deck and bring them in at night to protect them from the freezing temperatures. This practice has always led to an over-abundance of tomatoes in the fall. Definitely more than we could eat. Alas, have no fear! Once our harvest ripened on the deck, we would wash, core, and freeze our mass of tomatoes. What a treat it was when Mom took a package of frozen tomatoes out of the freezer in the middle of winter to cook them up in her delicious tomato soup! Today, I enjoy doing the same for my family. Homemade tomato soup is one of my family’s favorite meals, and they were all more than happy to sip the delicious soup on this cold, rainy weekend. Last year, we had a great growing season for tomatoes, which evidently resulted in quite a few extra tomatoes. Here it is the middle May and we still have a drawer full of frozen tomatoes in the downstairs freezer. Alright, onto the tomato soup. To begin the soup, pick 8-10 tomatoes and remove the skins. My favorite part about working with frozen tomatoes is a trick my mother taught me back when I would help her make tomato soup: All you need to do to remove the tomato skin is run the frozen tomatoes under warm water and the skin will literally fall off. How easy is that? Dice up one onion. Start heating four cups of milk at a low temperature and add one-to-two tablespoons of flour. Meanwhile, cook the tomatoes and onion at a simmer until the mixture is reduced by at least half (or, if you let the tomatoes thaw before cooking, you can dump out the water before cooking). Once the milk begins to boil, add a pad of butter and boil for a few more minutes. As soon as the milk mixture and tomato mixture are ready, add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda to the tomatoes and stir until well-mixed (the soda will neutralize the acid of the tomatoes so the milk will not curdle). Enjoy the bubble show that ensues (my children love this part)! Once the tomato mixture is all bubbly from the baking soda, slowly pour the boiling milk into the tomato mixture and stir. Immediately remove the soup from the heat (heating the soup after the milk is added could also cause the milk to curdle). Salt and pepper the soup to taste and serve immediately with your favorite soup crackers! The taste of homegrown tomatoes in the winter and spring is something that is very hard to come by in MN, so this soup is especially delicious when vine-ripened tomatoes are locally unavailable. The next time you have more tomatoes than you can eat, freeze them, and enjoy them in a hot, homemade bowl of tomato soup! Recipe Ingredients: 8-10 tomatoes, skinned 1 onion, diced 4 c. milk 1-2 T. flour rubbed smooth in very little cold milk 1 T. butter 1/2 t. baking soda salt and pepper to taste Directions: Put the skinned tomatoes into a stew pot with the onion and cook until soft and reduced by half. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, heat the milk over low heat and add the flour (rubbed smooth in very little cold milk). Add butter when milk begins to boil and continue to boil for a few minutes. Next, add the soda to tomato mixture once reduced. Stir well and add the boiling milk. Do not cook after milk is added. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately with crackers. Enjoy!