Water bath canning tomato sauce
Yesterday, I canned about 55 pounds of tomatoes. I know, that's a lot of tomatoes! So, I broke my recipe down to make it more manageable for my article today. Each quart jar, on average, will hold about 6 1/2 pounds of tomatoes when you're making tomato sauce. To make my sauce recipe, you'll need a water bath canner or a large enough stockpot that the quart jars can be submerged in. Note also that the water will need to cover the jars by about an inch. This is one of the simplest ways to make homemade tomato sauce because you do not peel, take the seeds, or the core out of the tomatoes. You'll only want to cut the stem portion off the tops of each one.
Ingredients:
Tomatoes, an average of 6 1/2 pounds, will be needed per quart.
4 tablespoons of 5 percent white vinegar per quart You can also use 2 tablespoons of lemon juice per quart, or use a dash of citric acid per quart, if you prefer.
Spices of your preference (I didn't add any to mine; that way, I will be able to use the tomato sauce for various recipes later on.)
Instructions:
I began by working in batches, washing and quartering the tomatoes, then adding them to my blender. (You can use either a blender, food processor, or food mill to prepare the tomatoes.) I wanted to make my sauce thick, so I only pulsed my tomatoes about four times.
Then I transfer the tomato sauce to a large stock pot and continue to pulse the rest of the tomatoes in my blender until they are all processed.
Then I placed the stockpot over medium-high heat and brought the sauce to a boil.
Once the sauce comes to a rapid boil, I reduce the heat and simmer the sauce uncovered, stirring occasionally. I cooked the sauce for 90 minutes until it thickened.
Once the sauce was cooked to my preference, I prepared my water bath canner by filling it with water and 8 quart-sized canning jars. Then I brought the water to a boil to sterilize the jars.
After that, I removed the stockpot from the burner and transferred the hot tomato sauce to the sterilized jars, leaving about 1 inch of headspace.
Next, I stirred in 4 tablespoons of 5 percent white vinegar per quart. You can also use 2 tablespoons of lemon juice per quart, or use a dash of citric acid per quart, if you prefer. Doing this step is crucially important because it is what keeps harmful bacteria from growing inside your jars of tomato sauce. You can add spices and a sweetener of your choice now if you desire.
Then I wiped the jar rims off with a clean paper towel, sealed the jars with lids and ring bands, and processed the jars in a water bath canner for about 40 to 60 minutes. Remember that the jars need to be submerged in water, and the water needs to be an inch above the jars at all times.
Once the tomato sauce was processed, I used canning tongs to lift the jars out of the hot water, placed them on a towel-lined counter, and left the jars to sit overnight. This morning, all the lids were sealed.
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