How to can or jar your homemade tomato sauce

How to Can or Jar your homemade tomato sauce

My Grandmother taught me how to can fresh fruit to make jellies and jams. After she and my Grandfather moved into what was to be our family home on Long Island for over 40 years she found a surprise in the basement. When the wife of the previous owner heard that my grandparents had 6 children she left canned goods on the shelves for my grandmother. Grandma Laura said there were year’s worth of everything you could imagine from fruit preserves and jellies to string beans, corn and even some meat preserves. What a beautiful gift to give a young family some 50 years ago when times were difficult.

There was a pear tree in the front yard and I think we canned pears and fresh peaches the first time. Later I made jelly a few times so I wouldn’t forget all that she had taught me. I had forgotten how labor intensive these projects can be if you don’t have everything ready and at your fingertips. Also I had an expert showing me what to do so that also made things easier to manage. So if possible do this project with a friend or better yet do it with a young person and pass the knowledge forward. You will love the taste of your own foods canned because they are seasoned the way you like them.

I used the directions from the pectin box and my new canning bible the “Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving.” I purchased the 100 Anniversary Edition at my local Wal-Mart. I also bought small jars for making jelly there. My pint and quart jars were purchased at the Christmas Tree Shops and the Big Lots stores. There is a hub about getting the jars for free and I will be following those suggestions to save jars for next season.

Follow my How to make tomato sauce at home hub and once the sauce is made keep it bubbling on a low boil to place it in the jars. Prepare the jars so that they will not crack when you place the hot liquid in them. Wash the jars, lids and rims in warm soapy water and rinse well. Place the jars ¾ full of water in a large pot that u can also add water to cover them later with approximately two inches of water. Place the lids and rims in a separate sauce pot and turn stove on low and maintain the temperature. Right before you are going to fill and seal the jars remove the rims and place them to the side so they are not too hot to handle.

Preparation:

You need canning jars in the size you want washed and ready to sterilize

New lids and rims (you can reuse jars but you cannot reuse lids)

Food you want to jar at the correct temperature

Pectin to help fruits gel

Seasoning, sweeteners and extras you need as per directions to can (juice for jellies and jams, pectin, lemon juice for vegetables, etc) We use a low sugar pectin which requires less sugar, honey or sugar substitute.

Funnels, ladles, plates and tongs,

After washing and rinsing the jar parts they get placed in separate pots and boiled. Then you keep the pots on a low flame to keep the water hot. You fill the glass jars while they are hot to keep them from cracking when you ladle the hot liquids into them. Using a ladle and a funnel you fill each jar leaving ¼ in space from the top. My Grandmother always said not to fill past the rings for the rims to screw on. Clean the rim of the glass inside and out before placing the lid on. The directions call for one tablespoon of lemon juice in each quart jar before you ladle in the hot tomato sauce.  I let them sit while I am filling the next jar and then screw the rim on. When you have filled all the jars your pot can hold place the filled jars back in the hot water and bring to a rolling boil. The directions tell you to place a rack in the bottom of the pan. How long it boils is determined by what it is and how large the jar is. The directions recommended 10 minutes for each ½ pint jelly jar and 40 minutes for each quart of tomato sauce.

Remove the jars and let them sit undisturbed for 12 hours. We were able to jar 7 quarts of tomato sauce from 20 very large tomatoes. We completed nine ½ pint jelly jars from 20 medium sized peaches. Always start with more fruit or vegetables than the recipe states. Just in case you are using a medium size item and they used a larger one. It's a lot of work and you want to produce as much as you can.

Canning is not an exact and unforgiving science like baking. But if you do not follow the directions precisely to avoid having bacteria proliferate from poorly cleaned utensils or jars you can make people very sick. The directions also tell you how to check your seals after you have completed the water bath. I listen for the popping sound each one makes and I manually check the seals. If the lids can easily be removed then you need to use the item right away and store it in the refrigerator. If you cannot remove the lid then screw the rim back on and store in a dark, cool place for the season. I keep my Blue Book and the pectin directions with me at all times to follow and double check the directions.

Your canned goods make excellent gifts. A label with the canning directions or the recipe with a bow is a perfect accent. Remember to label all your jars with the name of the item and the date it was made. The directions will tell you how long you can store them and eat them safely. Enjoy!

Please read my other hubs as I continue the 30 hubs in 30 days Challenge.

· How to make homemade tomato sauce from fresh tomatoes

· How to make pound cake from scratch

· How to store fresh greens and enjoy them all year long

· How to cook collards and other greens

· Facebook are they selling your information