Totally Tomatoes: How To Can Tomato Sauce Starter

I've been known to go overboard with tomatoes.  I used to plant by the enticing mantra, "if some are good, more are better!"  In my first few seasons it wasn't uncommon for me to take up a third of my garden with staked tomato vines.  By July, I’d be scrambling like Lucille Ball at the chocolate factory conveyor belt – desperate to put up the overwhelming influx before the next wave tumbled into the kitchen.  Thankfully, the more seasons I have under my belt, the better sense I get for what we’ll actually use.  I've learned to reel myself in during planting so that later I won’t feel the urge to stash tomatoes left and right simply to get them out of my sight.  No matter what, canning tomatoes is a big job.  For me, the payoff makes it worth the effort -- the rest of the year I have the delicious luxury of canned garden tomatoes (in all their glorious forms) at my fingertips.  

Last summer I posted about one of my favorite finales to summer canning: salsa.  This year, the season has been wet and late, so our tomatoes are just now coming in strong.  I’m rolling up my sleeves and gathering pots and pans to re-stock my pantry with another canned-tomato staple – what I call “sauce starter”.  This simple recipe is the foundation for my soups, pasta sauces, and stews.  Though I've given a basic tomato-canning “how-to” with the recipe below, it is best to familiarize yourself with the guidelines from expert resources such as Ball’s Book of Home Preserving.

Typically, we grow at least one variety of “paste” tomatoes (i.e. Roma, San Marzano); a few varieties of slicing tomatoes (i.e. Mortgage Lifter, KY Beefsteak, Early Girl, Striped German); and some cherry tomatoes (Sun Sugars are the most wonderful garden snack your taste buds will ever encounter).   There are preferred varieties for canning different recipes.  Experiment with what works for you.  I’m not very picky-- I leave the cherry tomatoes for eating fresh and harvest the others for canning.  Whatever comes in to the kitchen gets peeled and cooked – I don’t even bother straining out seeds (unless the recipe is for tomato juice).   

Versatile Tomato Sauce Starter

15# tomatoes (Approximately)

Fresh Basil Leaves (2 per quart or 1 per pint)

Lemon Juice

Quart or Pint Mason Jars

New Lids

Bands

Makes Approximately 15 Quarts

To Peel:

1. Wash tomatoes.  Cut out cores & bad spots.

2. Boil Water in a Large Pot.  Prepare an ice water bath in a large bowl nearby.

3. Scald tomatoes in boiling water for 45-60 seconds until skin is loosened.  Immediately plunge into ice water bath.

4. When tomatoes are cool enough to handle, remove skins to compost bucket.  Place tomatoes in a large stock pot (off heat).

5. Repeat this process until all tomatoes are peeled.

Note: If you prefer a smooth starter, pulse tomatoes in a blender after peeling.  If you prefer a chunky starter, proceed with directions below.

To Cook:

1. Working in small batches with a potato masher, mash tomatoes to desired chunkiness.

2. In a large stock pot bring tomatoes to a boil over Medium-High heat.  Stir frequently to prevent scorching.

3.  Allow to boil for at least 5 minutes, but up to 30 minutes to cook off moisture and thicken the starter.

4. Meanwhile, prepare clean jars and canner.  Heat new lids in a small sauce pot of water (but do not boil). 

To Can:

1. Work with one clean, hot jar at a time.  Place 2 basil leaves in a quart jar (1 leaf per pint jar).

2. Add 2 T Lemon Juice per quart or 1T per pint.

3. Using a canning funnel, immediately ladle hot tomatoes into jar, leaving a generous ½-inch of headspace.

4. With a small rubber spatula, scrape inside edge of jar to release air bubbles.

5. Wipe rim of jar with a clean, damp cloth.

6. Center hot lid on jar.  Screw band to fingertip tight.

7. Place jar in canner.

8. Repeat canning steps 1-7 until canner is full.

9. Cover canner. Bring water to a boil.  Then, time 45 minutes for quarts, 35 minutes for pints.

10. Remove canner lid and turn off heat.  Allow to rest 5 minutes.

11. With a jar lifter, remove each jar without tilting.  Allow to cool slowly on a draft-free cooling rack.  Do not disturb for 24 hours.  Then, check seals.  Immediately, re-process any jars with broken seals using a new lid.  Store sealed jars in a cool, dark place. 

 

Tomatoes are loaded with antioxidant vitamins (C, A, K, B1, B6, E, and B3), minerals (potassium, molybdenum, manganese, and folate among others), and phytonutrients.  This garden staple has been associated with promoting bone, heart, liver, and kidney health.  It also has anti-cancer properties.  Some folks find the high acid content of tomatoes difficult on their system – thankfully, yellow tomatoes have the same health benefits, but typically have a lower acid content.   Like many fruits and vegetables, tomatoes have a variety of healthful qualities that vary in raw and cooked form.  Can you believe tomatoes were first brought to Europe from South America and were cultivated only as ornamentals -- for HUNDREDS of years no one even ate them!! Cooked, stewed, raw, blanched, or fermented – just eat ‘em!