Рецепт Freezing Tomatoes & Canning Sauce
We go through a lot of tomato sauce in our household. My husband could eat spaghetti and tomato sauce several nights a week and then be up for a ziti or lasagna. So, when I started gardening and trying to grow things organically for my family, it was only natural to start thinking about canning our own tomato sauce. Besides knowing where the sauce came from, it is also nice to get further away from cans that can cause health problems. While we do have a lot of tomato plants, they don’t all ripen at the same time and I’m not going to purchase a bunch of tomatoes since I’m already growing them. What to do? Take the easy approach that will actually get more people into making their own! Freeze your tomatoes as they ripen!
That’s right, as your tomatoes ripen, toss them in freezer safe bags. Then, at the end of the season (or in my case sometime in the winter when I am bored and I want something simmering on the range for a while) take all of your tomatoes and process them at the same time! My theory is there is no reason to go through this process several times. Why do that to your free time, your kitchen, and your sanity? The first time I canned sauce, there were so many resources out there but nothing that showed me step by step in how I knew I wanted to make my sauce. So, I did all of the leg work and now spell it out for you so you don’t have to! I can a basic tomato sauce, without any seasonings to it so that I can adjust at the time of cooking later on. If you prefer to add your seasonings before sealing, then do so when you simmer your sauce to your desired thickness.
Also, I use a large pot. The same pot I cook my lobsters in. I don’t have a special canner, just something that is deep enough to cover the jars with water. I also don’t have a canning rack. I have the little tong kit that includes a funnel and a magnet stick to place the lids on and that’s it. Very simple, inexpensive operation here that still yields results!
So, step by step on what to do (I use a Food Mill to save more time, but if you don’t have one you will want to parboil your tomatoes and then remove the skins. There are directions on this in the links below):
1. Take frozen tomatoes and place them in a large pot (do not use aluminum as that will react with the acidity of the tomatoes) and bring to a slow boil, then allow the tomatoes to simmer for roughly 20 minutes. The skins will start to peel off and the tomatoes will soften.
Life jackets are not required for this step!
2.Place your food mill over a large bowl and in small batches, taken your softened tomatoes and process them through your food mill. Between batches, you will need to clean the food mill from the seeds and skins.
3. Add the processed tomato juice that has gone through the food mill back into your large pot. Bring to a boil and then allow to simmer until your desired consistency has been reached. Volume reduced by 1/3 is good for thin sauce and 1/2 for a thicker sauce.
4. While your tomato sauce is thickening, go ahead and sanitize your jars. In a large pot of water, add your clean jars and bring to a boil. Allow to boil for a couple of minutes. Do the same for your lids.
5. Leave your lids in the hot water, but remove the jars. Fill the large pot or canner back up with water and bring to a boil so that you can process the jars once your sauce has been added.
6. Once your sauce is the desired thickness, using a funnel, pour the sauce into each jar (make sure the jars are hot when you fill them to avoid breakage from a temperature change), filling to 1/2″away from the top. In each quart jar, add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and for a pint jar, add 1 tablespoon.
7. Wipe the surface of each jar clean and top with hot lid and band. Close snugly, but not too tightly. Add the jars to the boiling water of your large pot or canner and allow to process for 35 minutes (pints) to 45 minutes (quarts). Make sure that the jars are immersed in water and covered by at least 1 inch of water.
8. Remove jars and allow for them to cool in a spot where they will not be moved or bumped. As the lids seal, you will hear that lovely popping sound. Check all of the lids after 24 hours to ensure a good seal. The lids should not flex back and forth.
I hope this helps and makes canning a little less daunting. I love freezing my tomatoes so that I don’t have to make a mess of my kitchen several times for small batches and so I don’t have to work in a hot kitchen canning tomatoes on a nice summer day. Why not save it for a cool, rainy day in the fall or winter instead?
Sources: Ball Canning , Pick Your Own, eHow