Canning Tomato Sauce & Salsa

In these recipes, do not change the ratio of tomatoes (acidic) to the rest of the vegies (non-acidic), and don't forget to add the lemon or lime juice to each jar. That makes these recipes safe to can in a boiling water bath. I use mostly paste tomatoes in these recipes, to cut down on cooking time, but any tomato can be used. I make my sauce thick, using it as-is for pizza, but thin it with red wine or broth when cooking a pasta sauce. I like a smooth sauce (it's more versatile), so put everything through the blender before adding to the sauce for canning. Then, this winter, I'll add a jar of sauce to meat or extra chopped, sauteed vegies when cooking.

I measured how much is in my enameled cooking pot (don't use aluminum or cast iron to cook acidic foods, they will alter the taste - use stainless steel or enameled) by pouring in 2-quart increments of water and then notching the handle of a wooden spoon. That way, I know how far down to cook my tomato puree before adding the rest of the vegies to come up with a 9-pint canner load. T = tablespoon, # = pounds, processing times are for 5,000 ft altitude.

Tomato Sauce (9 – 10 pints)

15 # tomatoes, cored and liquefied in blender, no need to peel
2 C chopped onions
1 C chopped bell pepper
1 C chopped celery
2 T brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T parsley
1 T basil
1 T oregano
1½ T non-iodized salt
½ t pepper

Cook tomatoes down first, then add rest of ingredients for last 30 – 45 minutes. If you want a smoother sauce, put them through the blender first too. Add 1 T lemon juice to each pint. ¼” headspace, 30 minutes, boiling water bath.

Tomato Salsa (8 – 9 pints)
15 # tomatoes (I peel and chop mine, I like pieces of tomato in salsa)
2 C chopped onions
2 C chopped jalapenos or roasted peeled chiles
2 T minced garlic
2 bunches cilantro, chopped
2 T non-iodized salt
2 T sugar

Cook same as tomato sauce, tomatoes first, adding vegies later (for salsa, I leave everything chunky). To change the heat factor of the salsa, use different chiles, not a different amount. Add 1 T lime juice to each pint. ¼” headspace, 30 minutes, boiling water bath.

When I had a bumper crop of nectarines, I used the above recipe to make a wonderful nectarine salsa. Just substitute peeled nectarines or peaches for the tomatoes, and use red onion instead of white. All else stays the same. Yummm!!