the easiest way to can tomato sauce


y'all. it's been crazy town over here. 

while in europe, we had a major leak in our tub causing our one & only bathroom to need a complete remodel. think soggy floors & mold in the walls. so, we've been camped out at my in-law's for over a week. 

of course, we've got tomatoes coming out of our eyeballs. in between tiling floors & picking out new paint, i've been spending lots of time in the kitchen. 

thankfully for you & for me, i've found the easiest way to can tomatoes. this recipe breaks all the canning rules, but it's perfect for those busy days & it gets the job done.




the easiest way to can your tomato sauce

ingredients:
tomatoes, stems chopped off
salt
dried herbs
lemon juice

1. gather as many tomatoes as can fit in your largest stainless steel pot. scrub your tomatoes & chop off the stems. 
2. put your tomatoes in the pot, skin & seeds included (see- we are breaking all the rules, folks!) 
3. put the stove on low, place the lid over your pot of tomatoes & allow your tomatoes to simmer for 24 hours. stir occasionally & yes - this requires that you go to sleep with the stove on.
4. wake up in the morning, check the tomatoes, stir a bit & crack the lid on the pot. this will allow moisture to escape. 
5. allow the tomatoes to cook until most of the moisture is gone - about five hours - & the tomatoes are a mushy consistency. 
6. at this point, prepare your jars & lids. 
7. using your immersion blender or food processor, process your tomatoes to your desired consistency. once a tomato sauce-like consistency is reached, add salt & dried herbs to taste.
8. add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to your pint size jars & 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to your quart size jars. the amount of jars you need is based on how many tomatoes you process.
9. fill your jars with tomato sauce & process in the water bath canner.
10. label & store until winter. enjoy with pasta & sautéed veggies. 


my friends, i hope you find this recipe helpful! let me know if you try it! it makes canning tomatoes much more manageable during the crazy days of summer!
love,
natalie

13 comments:

Sheila said...

Or use your Crockpot/slow cooker 😉

Ashley P. said...

I was just about to say but Sheila beat me to it. :) I'm a crock pot girl too, this sounds like it would translate well for that

deb said...

So Sheila and Ashley, you would crockpot it on low for the 24 hours?

deb said...

Natalie, your blog is completely adorable.

Ashley P. said...

Deb, never having made this before I would probably simmer on the stove and then transfer to the crock pot for overnight cooking. I make my apple butter in a similar way. :) If I ever get my hands on some tomatoes I may try this recipe.

natalie said...

The crockpot is totally fine, but I prefer making bigger batches which is why I opt for my big stockpot on the stove! :)

Anonymous said...

very beautiful site and work, Natalie!
-Rachel Lyons

Nikala said...

What is the end consistency of the sauce?

Anonymous said...

Sorry if this is dumb, but I'm new to this. "1 tablespoon of lemon juice to your pint size jars & 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to your quart size jars."

Does that mean 1 tablespoon to each pint/ 2 tablespoons to each quart? Or do you put that amount into the batch?

Anonymous said...

I was wondering the same thing. That part confused me!

Victoria Ann said...

I feel as if this may be a dumb question, but can someone tell me if this is an okay recipe to oven can?

Natalie Freeman said...

Victoria -I am not sure what you mean by "oven can" (that's a method I haven't heard of before), but you can water-bath process it on the stovetop for shelf safety.

Natalie Freeman said...

Anonymous & Tashia - That is correct. When processing canned goods, it is always a good idea to add lemon juice to each individual jar to make sure the acidity is correct in each jar. So yes - add the tablespoon(S) to each jar depending on your jar's size.

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