A couple questions on canning

[pacanis]

I'm thinking of making my own spaghetti sauce and might as well go all the way, make a lot and can it.

How many lbs of tomatoes makes how much sauce? So I know how many jars to get.

Is there any reason I couldn't use a large pot for the water bath method? Why do people have canning pots? What is the difference?

I've read to leave the seeds, I've read to seed the tomatoes. I'll probably try both ways at first and see if I notice a difference.... but you always want to skin the tomatoes, right?

That you for any guidance.

 

[mikki]

Here is the recipe out of the Ball Blue Book
SEASONED TOMATOE SAUCE
(yields about 14 pints or 7 quarts)

45 lbs of tomatoes 1 Tbsp black pepper
6 C chopped onion 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
12 cloves garlic 1/4 cup salt (optional)
1/2 C olive oil 2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
2 Tbsp oregano bottled lemon juice
6 bay leaves

Wash tomatoes; drai. Remove core and blossom ends. Cut into quaters; set aside. Saute' onions and garlic in olive oil in a large sauce pot. Add tomatoes oregano, bay leaves, black pepper and sugar. Stir in salt and red peppers. Simmer for 20 minutes, stiring occasionally. Remove bay leaves. Puree tomatoes using a food processor or food mill. Strain puree to remove peels and seeds. Cook pulp in a large, uncovered saucepot over medium heat until sauce thickens, stirring to prevent sticking. Reduce volum by one-half. Add 1 Tablespoon bottled lemon juice to each pint jar, 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice to each quart jar. Ladle hot sauce into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. adjust two piece caps. Process pints 35 minutes, quarts 40 minutes, in bioling-water canner.

 

[Adillo303]

Hi Pacanis,

I don't know much about canning, but, I know a bit about Spagetti sauce. How are you fixed for freezer space? I make up a big pot of sauce, Then I put enough for a meal in a quart zip lock and freeze it. Should be go for 6 months or better. When I want a meal, I just take out a bag, cut and peel the zip lock off and heat it in a pot.

Mom used to can things, I have read a few threads here about water bath and pressure canning. Which method depends on the acidity of what youare canning. Tomato products seem to be on the fence type things.

If you have the freezer space it seems like less work.

 

[pacanis]

Thanks for that recipe Mikki. Is that how you do it?

I was thinking of merely freezing, too, AC. My meal planning is so haphazard that I would like a jar sauce that's ready to go. I used to buy jar sauce, but everyone said I might as well make my own. So I was trying to learn more about that. Then everyone was saying that this Hunt's Traditional was good, but to be honest, I can't stand the taste of it and haven't found a good way to "reseason" it yet. With tomato season closing I want to make up a bunch of jars that I can open and adjust myself if needed without relying on store bought sauce. Why not (lol). I'll probably freeze some too though, just to see if there's a difference.

 

[suziquzie]

I agree on the Hunts Pacanis...
We used to eat it all the time until I started making / freezing my own...
Hunts was on sale last week so I got a few for emergency dinners.
YUCK! They musta changed it, I dont remember it tasting like...... that.
When I am in a hurry with my frozen stuff it doesn't take too long to thaw...
I freeze in Gladware, plop the hunka frozen sauce in a pot and cover... leave on med awhile, it's usualy ready by the time the pasta's done if I start the water for it at the same time as the sauce.
Wow that was a really long post, not even about canning....
sorry.

 

[JMediger]

Water bath canning can be used for tomato items if you add lemon juice for added acidity.

Is there any reason I couldn't use a large pot for the water bath method? Why do people have canning pots? What is the difference?

Other than size and a canning rack, there isn't any difference that I am aware of. I use a large enamelware "corn" pot that I found at an estate sale. I just sink a towel on the bottom to protect my jars. I just read that you can use a round cooling rack to do the same thing.

I'm a fan of freezing except when it comes to tomato "stuff". I think the flavor is the same whether you can or freeze so I save my freezer for things I can't / don't can (like the plethora of squash, beans and brussel sprouts I'm pulling out of my garden). I can tomatoes, salsa and sauce. I'm thinking of trying vegetable juice this year depending on how many tomatoes I end up with.

I asked the same question last year about seeding and skinning and got mixed reviews. I still skin and in the process of cutting them, squeeze about 1/2 of the seeds out. I don't spend alot of time digging them all out so invariably, there are seeds in my products. I've never noticed a difference in taste.

I think that's all I have to offer ...

Good luck!

 

[mcnerd]

How to make and can homemade spaghetti sauce from fresh tomatoes - easy and illustrated!

 

[pacanis]

Thanks JM. I think I'll at least skin them and give them a squeeze. I'm going to use my stick blender anyway, so any seeds should be pureed. The towel in the bottom of the pot is a great tip.

That's one of the links I saved mcnerd. All that info and they don't even give you an idea on how many jars you'll need.... just 20 lbs of tomatoes.

Hopefully a tomato canner will pop in and let me know. I'd like to pick up my supplies today.

 

[pacanis]

Found it! I'll post this for anyone else that doesn't know.
If you have 10 lbs of tomatoes that you are making into sauce, you will need 4-pint jars...... That seems like a lot of work for just 4 jars of sauce. And in my case I would have to buy the tomatoes. This idea of canning may need re-evaluated. I was thinking it would be nothing to whip up a couple dozen jars of sauce. Now that I know how many tomatoes I would have to buy.... hmmm....
I may need to start a garden next year.

 

[bethzaring]

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f94/reducing-tomatoes-to-can-sauce-ketchup-etc-24464.html

this is the method I still use, am canning this sauce today....let me know if you have any questions..

 

[bethzaring]

This idea of canning may need re-evaluated. I was thinking it would be nothing to whip up a couple dozen jars of sauce. Now that I know how many tomatoes I would have to buy.... hmmm....
I may need to start a garden next year.

nothing to whip up a couple dozen jars of sauce?

I only planted 15 tomato plants this year, because I only needed to can sauce. The first canning session yielded 4 pints, the next, 4 quarts. I am out of pizza sauce so I will can what tomatoes I have. Yep, it sure is a lot of work for so little yield, but canning sauce is like that..

 

[pacanis]

Thanks Beth.

It looks like you can just the tomatoes, then turn it into whatever you want later, BBQ sauce, spaghetti sauce.... Neat idea.

 

[bethzaring]

Thanks Beth.

It looks like you can just the tomatoes, then turn it into whatever you want later, BBQ sauce, spaghetti sauce.... Neat idea.

I can several different tomato products and understand my techniques can be confusing....

Today i am canning pizza sauce, I follow the recipe for pizza sauce from the Ball book, but I use my own technique of producing the tomato puree. Same with BBQ sauce. I make the finished product but modify the process. By far, the most tomato product I make is tomato juice. i add various vegetables to that, like a V-8 juice and pressure can the juice. It all goes through the blender though. The only thing I make that is not buzzed to death is chili sauce, I stop at the chunk stage in the blender.

 

[pacanis]

Well I just stopped at Wally World on my way back from someplace and it looked like Ike went through their canning section. Not a jar, book, kit, lid to be found. Just some spices for pickles..... and they were mostly gone, too.

I think what I'll do is perfect a homemade sauce this year so it will be worth canning twenty jars of it. And get a garden going next year.

 

[bethzaring]

this is a little late in the canning season to be buying supplies. I stocked up on lids about one month ago and had to go to three places to find any, I was really starting to get nervous.. Wally World was my first stop and nada there.


Good plan for next year!

 

[mikki]

Sorry I haven't been on since I posted that recipe. We used a variation of that recipe.
Here is a recipe that My Italian grandmother in law uses. I think it tastes great. and you can add anythiny you want to it.

Use a large pot:
ADD:
29 oz can tomatoe puree with 2 cans of water
12 oz can of tomatoe paste with 3 cans of water
Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda

add any other ingrediants and boil it down to the desired thicknes.

 

[pacanis]

Thanks Mikki. I'm determined to get away from jar and canned sauces. I can't wait to give some of these recipes a try.

 

[blissful]

For me, generally, I don't can many tomatoes and this is why. Even the quart of romas that were very dry when cut open, ended up being 40 % clear juice to 60% solids. Tomatoes take a long time to cook down, they use a lot of MY energy and that from my gas stove before I even start canning them. Between the cost of growing them, the gas for the stove, my time, and the lids, I can buy some good substitutes for less on sale. Diced tomatoes and spaghetti sauce are pretty inexpensive in the winter. Instead I dehydrate them for the most part, it's not labor intensive, and I don't have to sweat the day away, I usually get it done in the evening and put them away the next day. They retain that 'summer tomato' taste and smell and take up less room.
Now I'm not against canning at all, in fact I think it is one of the best ways to preserve food overall because once they are canned, then no operating costs that you might have with a freezer. I can lots of other things, meats, poultry, pickles, jams, relishes, veggies...just not tomatoes, and part of that is canning tomatoes with my mom for years and I tried it again 5 years ago and decided that my time was worth more than the trouble for the $$.

 

[pacanis]

That has certainly crossed my mind blissful. Thanks for your input

And you know..... I wasn't all that upset when I found Wally World was out of canning supplies. Not when I found how low a yield you get for the amount of tomatoes I would need to get, but growing your own I think would be different. You get the sense of accomplishment from growing your own (I'm hoping) and you typically have a lot of tomatoes and veggies to use up if you plant that many.

 

[Michael in FtW]

Not every Walmart carries canning supplies. Those that do will usually carry them as a "seasonal" item - and that can be a strange season sometimes ... I know the store where my son works doesn't get canning stuff in until somewhere between October-Jan and has it cleared off the shelves before June!

You can order one online and they will ship it to your local store for free. They have both the Ball water canner starter kit and a pressure canner.

You will see several of us keep referring folks to the National Center for Home Food Preservation for a reason ... they have the current accepted methods and a lot of information for free. I have the also often referrred to Ball Blue Book - but I use both resources. Go to the NCHFP site, and then under How Do I? (on the left hand side of the page) click on Can for general information on canning, then you can click on Canning Tomatoes and Tomato Products and then click on what you want to can. They will tell you how many pounds of tomatoes it will take to make what quantity of that product (along with instructions for the procedure and sometimes a recips), such as this for Standard Tomato Sauce:

"Quantity: For thin sauce – An average of 35 pounds is needed per canner load of 7 quarts; an average of 21 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints. A bushel weighs 53 pounds and yields 10 to 12 quarts of sauce-an average of 5 pounds per quart.

For thick sauce – An average of 46 pounds is needed per canner load of 7 quarts; an average of 28 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints. A bushel weighs 53 pounds and yields 7 to 9 quarts of sauce-an average of 6½ pounds per quart."

Canning supplies like jars, lids, pectin and pickling spices I got at the Albertson's grocery store down the street from where I lived if Walmart didn't have them in stock. They were as cheap as anywhere else in town - by the time you figured in gas and driving time. If they didn't have what I wanted I could go about another 1/2 miles to the Tom Thumb - they carried canning supplies year round, too.

I have to admit - if you are not growing them yourself it's cheaper to buy them already canned.

Hope this helps you some ....