Garden Cream of Tomato Soup

Another fall favorite is Garden Cream of Tomato Soup. This recipe comes from "The Peach Tree Family Cookbook" by Cynthia Collins Pedregon. It's a collection of recipes used at The Peach Tree Tea room in Fredericksburg, Texas, just north of San Antonio. If you find yourself in the area, be sure and seek out this restaurant and gift shop. Their homemade soups and breads are wonderful.

Garden Cream of Tomato Soup is a lighter, fresher, spicier version of the tomato soup we all know. It is at it's best in autumn, when we find ourselves inundated with the last of the tomatoes that all ripen at once. Canned tomatoes could be substituted, if necessary, but you owe it to yourself to try this recipe with flavorful, garden ripe tomatoes.

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 Tbs butter
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 4 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 10 cups of tomatoes, peeled and cut in large pieces
• 6 cups of water
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh basil chopped
• 1 Tbls salt
• 1 Tbls pepper
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 and 1/2 cups evaporated milk