Have extra tomatoes? Make sauce!

Tomato sauce in Weck's canning jars

Sunday, July 30, 2023

  

For those lucky enough to be having a bumper crop of tomatoes or have a friend who is begging you to take their extras, making tomato sauce is an easy way to preserve the extras for winter that can be stored anywhere, in the pantry, kitchen, basement or even under the bed!  All you need are some canning jars, tongs, and a stock pot.

 

I slice the tomatoes we can't eat fresh, put in quart bags, and freeze until I am ready to can when it cools off.  There is no reason to not can now and skip that step!  I don't remove the skins or seeds when I make sauce.  I have not found that it effects the flavor of the sauce so why spend all the extra time and effort to remove them?

Tomatoes are considered an acidic vegetable so simple water bath canning is all that is needed to process the sauce for food safety.  Always follow the recipe exactly to ensure the acid level is high enough for water bath canning.  If a recipe calls for pressure canning, also follow it exactly as the time for canning under pressure is critical for making sure all bacteria is eliminated during the canning process.

I follow Ball's "Complete Book of Home Preserving" for their tomato paste recipe which makes a thick sauce.  Just put 9 cups of fresh, pureed tomatoes in a large pot, 1.5 cups of pureed sweet bell peppers, 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 clove of garlic and simmer about 2.5 hours to concentrate the flavor.  You can simmer more or less to the taste you prefer.  Remove the bay leaf and garlic clove.

I use Weck's brand canning jars and pint sized for canning my sauce as that is the amount I use for soups, chili, and spaghetti sauce.  Weck's jars are pretty and the lids are glass so they can be re-used for a lifetime.  Ball and Mason jars are more readily available in big box stores and easy to can with.  I just like using jars/lids that I don't have to buy more of each year and that are as safe as possible.  Glass is the safest on the market.

Easy, low tox canning of summer's bounty

Boil the jars, lids and seals as the sauce is close to being done.  Add 3 teaspoons of lemon juice to each pint jar, fill with the hot tomato sauce to within 1/2 inch of top of the jar, and seal the lid.  Make sure that the rims are wiped clean before putting on the lid so you will get a good seal.  Follow the instructions for the type of jar/lid system you are using.  

Place all the filled jars in a large pot, insuring they are fully covered with water.  Bring to a boil and continue boiling for 45 minutes.  Remove the jars from the pot and let cool.  Follow the jar/lid manufacturer's instructions for when and how to test the seal.  Test each seal before storing.  For any that the seal is broken, either put into the refrigerator to use in the next week or so or you can put into quart freezer bags for longer term storage.  Some lid systems require you to wait until completely cool (24 hours later) and the conventional metal lids will make a popping sound when they are sealed usually within 30 minutes of being removed from the pot to cool.

This type of canning is called "water bath canning"; no special pressure canner is required.  In general, any crop that is acidic by itself like tomatoes or is preserved using an acidic liquid or solid like vinegar and sugar are good candidates for water bath canning.  Do follow the recipe from a reputable source to guarantee food safety.

Ball's canning books have lots of tips on water bath canning so it is a great resource to use.  You can also look up their canning tips on-line, too.