Finally, I CAN

One of the BIG things on my summer To Do list was to learn to can. It's been on my version of a bucket list for several years, but this year is about making things happen. I bought the necessary equipment in July and have made my first goody a couple of weeks ago.

Jalapeno-Spiked Cherry Preserves

All in all, I've made Vanilla-Infused Blueberry Jam, Jalapeno-Spiked Cherry Preserves, and Ginger-kissed Honeydew Drizzle. While these are all fun to have made, they aren't foods I normally eat. Instead, I'm saving them to give as Christmas gifts (and am more than half-way done with my shopping thanks to them!). But to be cost-effective, I need to use my canning stuff for REAL food, you know?

When I went to the farmer's market this morning for my weekly groceries, I had this hope that I could find a great deal on tomatoes and make (and can!) tomato sauce. It's practical, useful, and something I can benefit from this fall and winter. Imagine my joy when I managed to buy 12.5 pounds of tomatoes for $8! Add the that the cost of peppers, onions, spices, garlic and lemon and I spent a total of $13 on today's adventure.

I based everything on a recipe published in Taste of Home last year and republished online this week. Here is a link to the original recipe, but I made a few modifications. First, I cut the recipe in half. Then, I chose to omit the canola oil. I see no reason for it at all and my mother said she's never heard of a tomato sauce calling for oil. Then, after reading the comments at the bottom of the recipe, I decided no oil was a good thing - food-safety-wise. Generally, tomato sauces require a pressure canner. In fact, I was pretty surprised by this recipe. But since it was first published last year, I figure if anyone got sick from it the magazine wouldn't have included it in their weekly emails this week. My mother agreed with this as well. Finally, I used fresh basil from my garden rather than the dried stuff - because I could, duh.

At the end of the day, I'm thrilled to have made 4 quarts of spaghetti sauce. We ate one tonight (with leftovers ready for tomorrow's Meatless Monday lunch) and have three to store for winter!

All ingredients necessary ... purchased from local farmers market

Prepping tomatoes for blanching and peeling.

Boiled 60 seconds until the skin started separating from tomato.

Thrown into ice bath to stop the cooking.

Peel is super easy to remove!

All ingredients cut, chopped, diced, etc. Ready to simmer 4-5 hours.

Still simmering after 3 hours ... just one more to go. Time to get water bath ready for jars.

Sanitized jars are filled with 2T lemon juice and the super-yummy sauce.

Dropped into water bath - carefully - for 40 minutes.

All canned and ready to store (well, once they cool).

Bon appetit!

P.S. Tomato sauce is SUPER low-calorie and high fiber. I like to serve it on julienned zucchini mixed with noodles in order to lessen the carbohydrates and increase the flavor and veggie love.

Very filling AND healthy zucchini "pasta"