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.
if in doubt, here are basic instructions for water bath canning.
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
Sheila | 24th Jul 15
Or use your Crockpot/slow cooker 😉
Ashley P. | 24th Jul 15
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 | 24th Jul 15
So Sheila and Ashley, you would crockpot it on low for the 24 hours?
deb | 24th Jul 15
Natalie, your blog is completely adorable.
Ashley P. | 25th Jul 15
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 | 26th Jul 15
The crockpot is totally fine, but I prefer making bigger batches which is why I opt for my big stockpot on the stove! 🙂
Anonymous | 29th Jul 15
very beautiful site and work, Natalie!
-Rachel Lyons
Nikala | 2nd Aug 15
What is the end consistency of the sauce?
Anonymous | 3rd Aug 15
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?
tashiadoyle | 10th Aug 16
I was wondering the same thing. That part confused me!
Victoria Ann | 15th Aug 16
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 | 22nd Aug 16
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 | 22nd Aug 16
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.