Additionally, the peels and seeds may affect the density of the sauce, preventing heat from penetrating properly when processed in a water bath canner. The peels may harbor bacteria, and add unwanted texture to the sauce. So far, there are no tested canning recipes that include the skins. If you are canning tomatoes, you need to remove the seeds and peels in recipes that call for it. Don’t use tomatoes from frost-killed vines as the acidity may have changed or these may harbor harmful pathogens that may not be killed during processing. You can still use other types of tomatoes, but it may take longer for the extra water to cook out.Ĭhoose good-quality tomatoes with no signs of rot, insect damage, or disease. Plum tomatoes, also referred to as paste tomatoes, are meaty with thick walls and have very little water content. My favorites are Amish Paste, Juliet, Roma, and San Marzano. Use plum type tomatoes for a flavorful and thick sauce.

This is the closest to the homemade tomato sauce I grew up with. When I make tomato sauce for canning, I follow the seasoned tomato sauce recipe in the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving. If you are canning tomato sauce, is important to use recipes that are formulated and tested for safe home canning. Here are tips for turning freshly harvested tomatoes into homemade tomato sauce and canning it in shelf stable jars: Follow a Safe Canning Recipe This is the seasoned tomato sauce recipe and method I use to home can the tomato harvest. No store bought tomato sauce compares with the flavor of homemade. Eventually, I made it my yearly goal to grow enough tomatoes to provide a sufficient amount of canned tomato sauce to last us until the following season. When I began growing a garden of my own, one of the first things I learned to can was tomato sauce from homegrown tomatoes. As an adult, I continued the tradition cooking up large batches of homemade tomato sauce and freezing it for future meals. There were no jars of purchased tomato sauce in our pantry. Growing up in an Italian household, the only tomato sauce we were aware of was the homemade kind made from canned or fresh tomatoes in season. Now that the final tomato harvest is simmering on the stove, I thought it was time to share the tomato sauce recipe and method I use to preserve the majority of my homegrown tomato harvest. It seems I constantly had baskets of ripe tomatoes to work through for the last two months. You could omit the sugar completely if this isn’t something that bothers you.I talk about canning tomato sauce a lot here at Grow a Good Life, especially this year as I faced the challenge of preserving a bumper crop. I find canned tomatoes to be on the acidic side, so the sugar helps tame it a bit. Sugar and salt: The salt and sugar help flavor the sauce.You can also add a tiny pinch of dried marjoram if you’d like! Sometimes I’ll cut back on the dried oregano a bit, especially if I’m topping the pizza with tons of toppings. Dried seasonings: My seasonings of choice are dried oregano, dried basil, and red pepper flakes.It takes seconds and the garlic really works into the sauce that way. Pressed garlic: I use a garlic press to help with this step.I use the food processor for minimum tears! Grated onions: You can grate the onions on a grater box, roughly chop and throw it into a food processor, or you can finely mince the onions for a heartier sauce.Olive oil: a generous splash not only helps flavor the sauce but also helps cook and bloom all of our aromatics and spices.Start by crushing San Marzano tomatoes and making my own ‘crushed tomatoes.’ Canned whole tomatoes: I’ve made this recipe enough times now to have tested it with whole tomatoes, diced canned tomatoes, and pureed tomatoes, and though all three of these work, I still find the whole tomatoes to be the best choice for making pizza sauce at home.What you need to make this easy pizza sauce recipe:

Tomato sauce from scratch