Categories: Soups/stews, Fish/sea, Pork/ham 
      Yield: 8 servings 
  
    1/4 c  Finely cut-up lean salt             1 c  Water 
           Pork or bacon, or margarine       1/3 c  Chopped celery 
           Or butter                           1 cn (16 oz.) whole tomatoes 
      1 sm Onion, finely chopped               2 ts Snipped parsley 
           (about 1/4 c.)                      1 ts Salt 
      2 cn (8 oz. ea) minced or              1/4 ts Dried thyme leaves 
           Whole clams*                      1/8 ts Pepper 
      2 c  Finely chopped potatoes         
  
  Cook and stir salt pork and onion in large kettle until pork is crisp and 
  onion is tender.  Drain clams, reserving liquid.  Add clam liquid, 
  potatoes, water and celery to pork and onion.  Cook until potatoes are 
  tender, about 10 minutes. Add clams, tomatoes (with liquid) and the 
  remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Serve with 
  assorted crackers if desired. *1 pint shucked fresh clams with liquid can 
  be substituted for the canned clams. Chop clams and add with the potatoes. 
  Variation--- *Vegetable-Clam Chowder* Add 2 T. finely chopped green pepper 
  with the onion.  Add 1 small carrot, finely chopped (about 1/4 c.) and 1/2 
  c. green peas with the potatoes. Add broken soda crackers and 1 T. 
  margarine or butter just before serving.