Canned tomato sauce

[ilovetchotchkes]

I just opened up a jar of tomato sauce that i canned from tomatoes I grew. 

It feels REALLY GOOD. 

Anyone else in here into canning? :) 

[Lovesong]

Well...we do make our own jam. Blueberry jam is very nice with the breakfast porridge, black currant jam is wonderful with pancakes and you really can't go wrong with strawberry nor blackberry jam. Rose-hip marmalade really is a treat on warm scones with half melted home-made butter on a cold afternoon and there's really nothing like your very own home made orange and lemon marmalade even if made from store bought fruit. Sadly can't even grow tomatoes here...so definitely no home grown citrus fruit.

I think if I ever get to move south, to an area where you don't need greenhouses to grow tomatoes and bell peppers and such things, I would really enjoy canning things like tomato sauce, pickled bell peppers etc. It is so rewarding opening a jar of something you've made yourself from scratch instead of just buying something pre-made. Especially if you know it is grown in your very own garden, without harmful pesticides.

[hildare]

sometimes?  we actually froze our tomatoes this year.  they were san marzanos, i can't say enough about them, though. 

[Paigekitten]

This was the first year I successfully grew tomatoes, and I made sauce and froze it because I don't have a canner.  I think it is super cool every time I cook something with MY sauce in it. 

[kitchensqueen]

I love canning for so many reasons. I like the actual activity of doing it (I'm a total food geek), I love a good bargain (cheaper than store bought) and most importantly, I'm putting food on the table for my family that is wholesome and delicious (no preservatives, no extra sugars/additives, no GMO produce). 

This year we canned tomatoes, pickled hot peppers and apple slices. We froze a ton of stuff as well, but that was all we got a chance to can this year. I've done jams, jellies, and pickles in past years too. There is just no beating the flavor of home canned tomatoes especially. I'm pleased and amazed every time I open a jar. 

[lmonter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ilovetchotchkes 
Anyone else in here into canning? :) 

*snort*  Ahem, yes.  A lot.  FarmerCathy's seen my pantry, she knows how insane I am.  Teehee.  :)

[kitchensqueen]

I'm down to five quarts of tomatoes left. I'll be lucky if those last through the end of January. WTH am I going to do for the rest of the winter!?

[laohaire]

I grew tomatoes this (last?) summer, with the intention of canning up 50 quarts. I failed.

First, I lost about 25% of the crop due to not harvesting it in time. I don't recall what happened but something happened that week and I could NOT get to the garden that week. So when I finally got there, there was a week's worth of prime harvest rotting on the ground.

But I did harvest most of it, and I took it home and started cooking it in the crock pot to get it saucy. Apparently I cooked it too long. I made paste.

And then I was super disappointed that my entire garden's worth of tomatoes (16 romas and 4 some heirloom variety I already forgot which) was sitting there in a single crock. That's 3 quarts, 4 tops. Granted, that was the paste, not the sauce.

So I just stuck it in the freezer. I haven't used it much. I feel like a huge failure. Spent waaaaaay too much money and time and effort on that.

On the other hand, canning my own chicken broth has been a huge success. I am a broth snob and despise the broth I buy at the store. My broth, on the other hand, is wonderful. So every couple of weeks, I make a batch of broth, and can up on average of 6 quarts (half in quarts, half in pints) per batch. So I am completely independent of store broth now.

I made a batch of mincemeat pie filling a few weeks ago as well - 6 quarts of rather divine stuff if I may say so myself. Am hoarding a couple of last quarts now.

I will probably try my hand at preserves next year. We don't grow any fruit ourselves but avail ourselves of the pick-your-own options locally. We always struggle with it because it's so much cheaper to do that than to get it at the grocery store, yet it adds up and can be hard to cough up $50 at one time for a batch of cherries, or blueberries, or whatever. It makes sense but it's just hard. But we are planning to steel ourselves and get a LOT. We've been doing this for years and NEVER get enough. It always seems like more when we take it home, but it's only enough to completely indulge ourselves in it for a week or so, and then it's gone.

[kitchensqueen]

Originally Posted by laohaire 

I grew tomatoes this (last?) summer, with the intention of canning up 50 quarts. I failed.

First, I lost about 25% of the crop due to not harvesting it in time. I don't recall what happened but something happened that week and I could NOT get to the garden that week. So when I finally got there, there was a week's worth of prime harvest rotting on the ground.

But I did harvest most of it, and I took it home and started cooking it in the crock pot to get it saucy. Apparently I cooked it too long. I made paste.

And then I was super disappointed that my entire garden's worth of tomatoes (16 romas and 4 some heirloom variety I already forgot which) was sitting there in a single crock. That's 3 quarts, 4 tops. Granted, that was the paste, not the sauce.

So I just stuck it in the freezer. I haven't used it much. I feel like a huge failure. Spent waaaaaay too much money and time and effort on that.

On the other hand, canning my own chicken broth has been a huge success. I am a broth snob and despise the broth I buy at the store. My broth, on the other hand, is wonderful. So every couple of weeks, I make a batch of broth, and can up on average of 6 quarts (half in quarts, half in pints) per batch. So I am completely independent of store broth now.

I made a batch of mincemeat pie filling a few weeks ago as well - 6 quarts of rather divine stuff if I may say so myself. Am hoarding a couple of last quarts now.

I will probably try my hand at preserves next year. We don't grow any fruit ourselves but avail ourselves of the pick-your-own options locally. We always struggle with it because it's so much cheaper to do that than to get it at the grocery store, yet it adds up and can be hard to cough up $50 at one time for a batch of cherries, or blueberries, or whatever. It makes sense but it's just hard. But we are planning to steel ourselves and get a LOT. We've been doing this for years and NEVER get enough. It always seems like more when we take it home, but it's only enough to completely indulge ourselves in it for a week or so, and then it's gone.

Don't feel like a failure! Tomato paste is just as good and you can do a lot with it. I do get the feeling of things not turning out quite like you planned though - that part sucks. 

How do you make your broth? Does one carcass give you that many quarts? I'm still tinkering with my ratios. Instead of liquid store bought stock we've switched to that Better Than Bouillion paste. It's pretty good and much more cost effective but I'd like to get off that entirely too. We just use so much stock... 

[laohaire]

Originally Posted by kitchensqueen 

How do you make your broth? Does one carcass give you that many quarts? I'm still tinkering with my ratios. Instead of liquid store bought stock we've switched to that Better Than Bouillion paste. It's pretty good and much more cost effective but I'd like to get off that entirely too. We just use so much stock... 

Yes, I make that much broth (about 6 quarts... sometimes it's 5 and a half) from one carcass. I put the carcass (including skin) in my crock pot and quarter a large onion. I add a bay leaf or two (two is better but I'm getting low so I get stingy :)). I throw in a healthy pinch of peppercorns. And a teaspoon of vinegar to soften the bones. I cover with water and put it on low overnight. In the morning I strain it and put the strained stuff in the fridge, then do a second batch. Since I am just covering the stuff and the carcass comes apart with the vinegar, the second batch is smaller. I add a fresh onion but everything else is just the same as the first batch (and I don't remove the first onion either, just add a new one). The second batch indeed is not as flavorful but I mix it all together and I think it comes out very nicely.

I take the chicken fat off the top of the refrigerated broth (but not the gel - the gel is fine, it's great in fact). You can freeze the fat in ice cube trays and add it back in later (usually 2 cubes per quart for me) but I've just put the schmaltz back in the fridge and use it as a cooking fat whenever I need it and don't specifically match it with the broth. I have tried being sloppy about removing the fat and canning it anyway but it turned the fat's taste and it was yucky. You don't want to cook fat like you do in a pressure canner. Also it can interfere with the jar's seal, though I didn't have that particular problem that particular time. I keep bacon fat and chicken fat around and will put either one into a dish if I need it.

I don't salt my broth before canning it simply because I salt to taste for each recipe. Some things I want more salt in, some things have plenty of salt from other ingredients and don't need much.

Per Ball's Blue Book, I can at 10 pounds pressure (my canner's equilibrium is at 15 pounds though) for 30 minutes for quarts, 20 minutes for all pints (which I do occasionally - a pint being equivalent to one can of broth, frequently used in a non-soup recipe).

[kitchensqueen]

Originally Posted by laohaire 

Yes, I make that much broth (about 6 quarts... sometimes it's 5 and a half) from one carcass. I put the carcass (including skin) in my crock pot and quarter a large onion. I add a bay leaf or two (two is better but I'm getting low so I get stingy :)). I throw in a healthy pinch of peppercorns. And a teaspoon of vinegar to soften the bones. I cover with water and put it on low overnight. In the morning I strain it and put the strained stuff in the fridge, then do a second batch. Since I am just covering the stuff and the carcass comes apart with the vinegar, the second batch is smaller. I add a fresh onion but everything else is just the same as the first batch (and I don't remove the first onion either, just add a new one). The second batch indeed is not as flavorful but I mix it all together and I think it comes out very nicely.

I take the chicken fat off the top of the refrigerated broth (but not the gel - the gel is fine, it's great in fact). You can freeze the fat in ice cube trays and add it back in later (usually 2 cubes per quart for me) but I've just put the schmaltz back in the fridge and use it as a cooking fat whenever I need it and don't specifically match it with the broth. I have tried being sloppy about removing the fat and canning it anyway but it turned the fat's taste and it was yucky. You don't want to cook fat like you do in a pressure canner. Also it can interfere with the jar's seal, though I didn't have that particular problem that particular time. I keep bacon fat and chicken fat around and will put either one into a dish if I need it.

I don't salt my broth before canning it simply because I salt to taste for each recipe. Some things I want more salt in, some things have plenty of salt from other ingredients and don't need much.

Per Ball's Blue Book, I can at 10 pounds pressure (my canner's equilibrium is at 15 pounds though) for 30 minutes for quarts, 20 minutes for all pints (which I do occasionally - a pint being equivalent to one can of broth, frequently used in a non-soup recipe).

This method sounds great, especially the crockpot. I love set it and forget it for stuff like this. I'm going to give this a try with my next chicken carcass, though I'll have to freeze mine since I don't yet have a pressure canner. I'm really hoping to buy one before this summer -  there's so much stuff I'd like to can that can't be waterbathed! 

[laohaire]

Sounds great! Yes, I love using the crock pot. I also use the crock pot to heat things up before hot packing for canning. I like how energy efficient it is too.

I researched the canner and found this was considered across the board the best canner in its price class - Presto 1781 23-Quart Aluminum Pressure Cooker/Canner

I just noticed it's on sale right now for $82.20, and free shipping. Wow! I got it for the regular $109 price last year. It's aluminum and not stainless steel, but the stainless ones are significantly more expensive. I also don't cook food in this, just can - I can't see how there can be much if any aluminum getting in the food. I've used it for a year and feel like it's well designed and solidly constructed.

[RosieL]

laohaire - Thanks for describing your stock process. I usually freeze chicken carcarsses until I have at least six, then do a huge batch of stock in a big pot. I love my stock, but I run out all the time. I plan to try your method next time I cook chickens (usually roast two at a time). Thanks! Also, thanks for mentioning the fat and pressure canner seal thing. The only time I've tried to can my stock the tops came off my jars and I lost about 1/3 of my precious liquid flavor. :( I'm pretty sure that it had something to do with the probable sloppy fat-removal job I did. 

I want to can more next year. This year I put up a bunch of salsa, some green beans, hot peppers (just raw packed), and no pickles. We had a no-cucumber year, which was extremely strange. This year I have 160 sq ft more space, and I plan to plant strategically for canning purposes. The goal is to buy zero vegetables in the summer and have as much put up as possible after consumption. 

[RosieL]

I have two pounds of whole san marzanos in the freezer. Anyone have a good process for peeling then saucing them?

[lactomom]

I'm just getting started! I planned to dehydrate most of my tomatoes last year, but they turned so slow and we use so many, none were put in food storage.

[diana_of_the_dunes]

Originally Posted by laohaire 

Sounds great! Yes, I love using the crock pot. I also use the crock pot to heat things up before hot packing for canning. I like how energy efficient it is too.

I researched the canner and found this was considered across the board the best canner in its price class - Presto 1781 23-Quart Aluminum Pressure Cooker/Canner

I just noticed it's on sale right now for $82.20, and free shipping. Wow! I got it for the regular $109 price last year. It's aluminum and not stainless steel, but the stainless ones are significantly more expensive. I also don't cook food in this, just can - I can't see how there can be much if any aluminum getting in the food. I've used it for a year and feel like it's well designed and solidly constructed.

Argh!  DH just bought me this canner for Christmas... at full price.  

[nstewart]

I am hoping to can tomatoes this coming summer.  I don't know about growing my own though...my efforts last summer to do so were disasterous to say the least!!  I have two local sources for organic tomatoes however, so I'm hoping to make an arrangement to buy their "left-overs" at the end of the weekend at the local farmer's market.  That arrangement could work well for both of us.  Do you need a pressure canner for the tomatoes, or just the stock?  I've been making my own stock every time I roast a chicken.  I've only been getting about 6 cups per carcass however.  Not even close to laohaire's 24 cups!!  I am clearly doing something wrong and will have to try that method.  I have just been plucking most of the carcass, then throwing it in (skin and all) a pot with a carrot or two, a couple stocks of celery, maybe half an onion, some pepper corns (maybe 5 or so), a couple cloves of garlic, a bay leaf and some other herbs (usually rosemary and thyme) and simmering over night on my gas range.

I did pickles a few years back - dills.  They were waayyy to sour for the first year (as I cut out a bunch of sugar from the recipe thinking I didn't want them to be sweet), the pickled carrots using the same recipe were great though.  After the first year of curing they were fine for use on burgers, etc.  After a year and a half I could actually just eat one on its own.  lol.

I love the idea of doing jams and jellies as well.  I work full time, so depending on how much free time I have I'd love to do some Saskatoon preserves (they're like blueberries, sort of) as I can pick them in a park by my house here.  I'd really like to go berry picking with my MIL, who is an avid berry picker (wild strawberries, raspberries and blueberries) and knows all the spots....alas the spots are 6 hours north of here where she lives!  Wild strawberries are especially divine.  Each berry is the size of the tip of my pinky finger and soooo sweet and amazing!  Getting a small container of those from her is such a gift!

[laohaire]

Originally Posted by nstewart 

I am clearly doing something wrong and will have to try that method. 

I doubt you are doing anything wrong! You probably have more flavorful broth. But I've always been happy with how mine turns out. Sounds like just doing a second batch will double your output. Also, a bit of vinegar might help - not for the vinegar itself, but its ability to soften the bones, which I assume also releases more flavor.

You can waterbath tomatoes but they are the outer limit of what you can waterbath. These days you must add acid (lemon juice or something) to ensure safety, as today's tomatoes are not as acidic as they were in the past. So you really have to follow directions extra well for those.

[AmandaAnn]

Originally Posted by ilovetchotchkes 

Anyone else in here into canning? :) 

Yes! My fiance and I are completely addicted to canning! As of now we've canned cherry peppers and made several kinds of jam. We tried canning tomatoes last year, but that was the first time we had ever tried canning and they went bad. We can't wait to can stuff directly from our garden this season!

[modestmothering]

I love canning...so great to see everyone's passion!  Growing our tomatoes this year!