I'm in 5b/6a, so a little warmer. All my peppers ripened. What really made the difference was buying a cheap cold frame. It increased temps outside by 20 degrees. So when it was 40 degrees I could put pepper plants out as it was 60 degrees in the cold frame. I brought them in at night. I did this for about 3 weeks, what a pain, but what a harvest!! By the end of three weeks they barely fit, and it was still kinda cool outside. i think they were slightly stunted when taken out, but were pretty much hardened off. I used a fan inside, so they were ready for wind etc. My tomatoes were in there too. My first tomato was around June 28th. Still have some as a matter of fact. When it got to be 60 outside I had to vent the frame as it was 80-90 degrees inside. The peppers grew like mad in it! When planted out they were over 12 inches tall, all had flowers. here's a photo of them in the cold frame

I'm not KatieC, but here's her recipe!! Delicious! I love to can in pints and just grab one to take to work. I can microwave it right in the jar and drink it! Roasted Tomato Garlic Soup Recipe By :Katie C 12 tomatoes -- *see Note 2 carrots -- cut in 1" pieces 1 large onion -- quartered 2 whole heads garlic -- peeled (or more, to taste) olive oil 2 cups chicken broth -- (or 3) 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil -- (or 1 Tbsp. dried) cream -- to taste DO NOT CAN WITH CREAM. Core tomatoes and cut in half. Place, cut side up, on foil covered cookie sheet with carrots, onion and garlic. Brush with olive oil. Bake at 400F for about an hour, or until vegies are roasted and a little blackened. Place in a large saucepan with the chicken broth and basil and simmer for about 10 minutes. Blend with a stick blender (or in small batches in a blender) until almost smooth. Add cream to taste. To can: Process in a pressure canner, pints for 60 min. and quarts for 70 min.For dial gauge canners use 11 pounds pressure at 0-2000 ft., 12 lbs. at 2001-4000 ft., 13 lbs. at 4001-6000 ft. and 14 lbs. above 6000 ft. For weighted gauge canners use 10 lbs. pressure at 0-1000 ft., and 15 lbs. over 1000 ft. *Note: These measurements are approximate...I use whatever it takes to cover the cookie sheet. This makes 1 1/2 to 2 quarts of soup. That said, I do keep a couple of Cream of Mushroom and Chicken on hand for recipes that I make infrequently for when "I don't want to cook". Yes, I've opened a can of tuna, can of soup and boiled noodles. Of course I always have to toss in some frozen peas, chopped celery, maybe olives or roasted red pepper. My White Chicken Enchiladas use a Cream of soup and they just aren't "THE RECIPE" without it. I probably use a total of 4-5 cans a year. Whatever. It's not any worse the hitting the drive through at a burger joint! I probably do that once a year! I say "to each his own". The only thing I don't like about prepared/packaged stuff in general is that the supply of basic ingredient selections at the grocery seem to be dwindling (pure space issue, I'm sure). Produce areas are smaller, meat counters, fresh seafoods and basic dairy products have fewer feet of space. :-( Just one more reason I'm always looking for a more direct source! Deanna

This is reeeeaally late but I want to thank everyone who responded to my initial post! I'd completely forgotten about it obviously, and only now discovered it (in the warm season when no one's making soup)! But it's a great thread to have that perhaps we can each keep adding to over time - though there are probably several other ones out there like it! These all sound so yummy (maybe I won't be able to wait till Fall)! And I appreciate all the storage suggestions too. I feel so bad about forgetting about this thread! I need to figure out how to get email alerts when I get a response however I'm a bit jaded about using the email I regularly use because I'm worried about viruses and spam. Anyway, I see there's a "check here if you would like post replies" box now so I'll be sure to do that now!!

Good idea. Apparently this is a term for meatballs made with rice (we just called them "meatballs made with rice"). This one sounds the closest though it has some water and uses tomato soup: http://cooklime.com/Recipes/Directions/468035-porcupine-meatballs Another tomato version: http://www.riceofday.blogspot.com/2015/02/oven-baked-porcupine-meatballs.html Pin comments have 1972 Campbell's porcupine meatball recipe, also with tomato: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/205406432979985649/ Most of the ones claiming to be the official Campbell's porcupine meatballs use cream of mushroom. There are a LOT that use tomato soup. There are also all the newer ones that feature homemade alphabet soup with more vegetables and turkey meatballs. I'm guessing that the alphabet soup version was a common variation on the tomato recipe, and that you could reinvent it yourself. Thanks! This was a fun treasure hunt, and I learned a new word. :)