Canning Tomato Sauce

My goal every year is to grow and store enough food to make it through to the next season. I love the idea of not relying on anyone else to make all the meals that I need. I know exactly what's in the food, and exactly how it was processed. Nothing better. Each year I'm reminded of just how much work this is. I TOTALLY get how it was a SERIOUS full time job to make ALL your own food back in the day. Serious, back breaking labor.  I imagine everything tasted like perfection. I've gone through half my years worth of tomatoes so far and got about 8 medium sized mason jars worth of sauce. Not too bad, but definitely hoping for a larger amount from the second half. There are many ways to can but this is how I do it. A great resource is America's Test Kitchen: Foolproof Preserving

How I start is to get a large sauce pot and small sauce pot on to boil with lots of water. Set a bunch of clean towels out on the countertops. Lay out the cleaned canning utensils, check out what these are here if your new to canning.  The utensils with the weird handles are grippers to pick up the hot jars, the funnel is for easy pouring into the jars, and  the long stick with a magnet on the end is to pick up the jar lids without having to dirty them with your hands.

Place 4-5 jars at a time in the boiling water. Let boil and steam for 60 seconds. Remove with canning tongs and set on clean kitchen towels. Place the lids into the other pot of boiling water and do the same. Set aside

In a sauce pot add:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 head of fresh garlic chopped

1 small onion chopped

1 tsp sugar

1 Tbs salt

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

Fill pot up to the top with chopped tomatoes ( I had a mixture of Beefsteak and San Marzanos)

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

Let cook down stirring occasionally. Cook on medium heat for 2-3 hours. Bring to a sauce consistency by using an immersion blender. 

Take the funnel and  use it to help fill each jar leaving a 1/2 inch of head room at the top of the jar. Using a clean towel clean the rims. Using the magnet add the lids, followed by the metal seal. 

If you've got a full on canning set up, place the jars in the canning rack and place into the boiling water. If not, use the canning tongs to place the jars into boiling water. Boil for 35 minutes. Let sit in the water for 5 more minutes. Remove and set out for 24 hours to rest. After they rest remove the seals, wipe the lids clean if needed, then place the seals back on and fit it on snugly. Store for up to a year!