Monday, September 14, 2009

Preserving tomatoes: canning tomato sauce

bowl of tomato
Oh sweet jesus. Last weekend was busy. I already blogged about it, didn't I? Well, I'll stop complaining and start posting. Though I'm still tired from it all.

It's tomato sauce time. And I've been perfecting the perfect, simple, lasagna, all made from scratch (and from Alice Waters' book The Art of Simple Food). It's pretty darn good, and perfect to use with homemade tomato sauce.

spices for sauce

Our sauce is hefty with spices and herbs, and this year we once again go to the motherlode, Barbara Kingsolver and her family's tomato sauce. It really is that good.

If you aren't using roma tomatoes, but are using the big juicy ones like I was using, it will take a while to cook down to a good sauce consistency. A while as in, hours. But that's okay. The kitchen smells so incredibly good with all of that good stuff percolating on the stovetop. Just make sure you're stirring.

In the end? 9 quarts of Italian Tomato Sauce. It deserved a special label and all, marked by a singular, huge, red tomato.

the finished product

Yes, it's the same tomato on my "I Can" items. Which, by the way, are super fun. I have the tote and get stopped all the time asking where I got it. And after last weekend, I definitely can. Do you?

Next up? I'll share my favorite of all recipes for tomatoes...chili sauce!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the label info, Lelo! I figured you designed your own. Now my plain labels look downright dowdy, but man, if I do say so myself, the 14-day sweet pickles inside the jars look mahvelous!

chook said...

do you use a hot-water bath? i'm running out of freezer space rapidly and the tomatoes...just...keep...coming!

LeLo said...

Chook-Yes, a hot water bath. If you click through to that recipe, it should have full directions. The acidity is controlled by the addition of lemon juice to each jar. The honey in the recipe helps counter the lemon tang. It's really good: you should try it!

Best Wishes, Marie said...

there is something about knowing that you are doing all of this that makes me feel better about not doing any of it. occassionally, i will whip out a pesto. i do think it is so very cool. the first year i was married and trying to do what "wives" do. (that year is the topic of many therapy sessions) "that year," i did apple pie filling and apple sauce. since then, the big pot and all the gadgets have been in the tuff shed. the jars are all gone, but the big pot is still out there. "wives" have canning pots. my mother in law is from a farm. an honest to goodness potatoe farm in idaho. so she gave me the recipe for those two items, if you would like them, i will post them on my blog for you. marie

I'm a Girl Too said...

Is it hard to make your own labels? I have ugly hand written paper taped to mine. Yours look so nice. I

Val in the Rose Garden said...

Beautiful labels! I don't put labels on my stuff and these are the first labels that make me think I should. :) I am really enjoying your blog. I live just north of you (Seattle area) and have similar passions.

Blessings,

Val

http://goddesshobbies.blogspot.com/