Making Tomato Sauce, Part 2

Last night we got the tomatoes cooked and strained. Tonight we finished it off and got it canned.

While I was at work, Frank set the sauce to simmer and thicken. He also washed the jars, lids and rings, set up the water bath canner with hot water simmering, and boiled the water to sterilize the jars. Teamwork is an essential key to a successful marriage and Frank is wonderful. We have always done everything together and it makes all the difference in the world.

So, when I arrived, everything was in order. I only had to change my clothes and we were ready to get the sauce in the canner.

We added 1/2 tsp. of salt and 1/4 tsp. of citric acid powder to each pint jar. This is the same citric acid powder I use when I make mozzarella.

We had more sauce than I thought we would which is wonderful. We filled the water bath canner with seven pints and had a little more than two pints left over. We debated what to do with it and decided it would be a good time to make a few pizzas. That will give us some to eat and some to freeze for later. We have extra mozzarella in the freezer, so tomorrow night we will make a few pizzas with our fresh sauce.

We brought the canner to a full rolling boil, and processed the sauce for 35 minutes. When it was finished, we took the lid off and let everything sit for 5 minutes before removing the jars.

 
Here they are! This is another dream come true. That may sound kind of funny. I think most 'dream come true' situations don't involve a kitchen full of messy tomato processing stuff. But for me, this is another thing I have wanted to learn for a long time. I have said it before, you are never too old to learn something new that may be of use for your family. Even if what I make or try isn't always successful, I learn so much every time. Because of the opportunity to learn, whatever work I put into the task is definitely worth the effort. So.......go try something new!

Until next time - Fern