For many years, we have been making our tomato sauce/gravy. Every fall, we make our pilgrimage to the Philadelphia market for our Plum or Roma tomatoes. We will refer to the product of these tomatoes as "sauce" herein because it will be preserved before being fully cooked, spiced and processed.
Ten years ago we would buy one 25 pound box, today we buy three or four. Some how some of our friends process 10 to 20 boxes.
The next step is to process the tomatoes. Some people parboil the tomatoes and then peel, de-stem and core them, cut them into quarters and then scoop out the seeds. This is how we started, but, for several reasons we don't do that anymore.
Related Imagery
Processing the tomatoes
Sauce pre-explosion
Our final product
First, it was tedious and time consuming. Second, it offended me how much of the tomato pulp was lost when scooping out the seeds. Third, and most important, there is a better way! There are tomato milling machines that grind the tomatoes to a pulp separating the seeds and skins for disposal. These machines range from about $50 for a manual model to as much as several thousand dollars, depending on the size of the motor and the other features. About $300-400 buys a real nice 1/3 horsepower model that can handle 300-600 pounds per hour.
For us, it was our juicer. We discovered that the Champion Juicer worked well with tomatoes when using the fruit screen. We were pleasantly surprised to see that they actually had screens that were designed specifically for tomatoes. This machine tore through a box of tomatoes in one fourth of the time it took to do it by hand. With our juicer we had to cut the tomatoes in half, but with many tomato milling machines you can feed the tomatoes in whole.
The next step for us was to start cooking the tomato pulp. Because we were canning the end product for later use, we did not add spices, meats or other vegetables. The reason for this is that you need a certain level of acidity in order to preserve the tomato sauce when canning. If you cook it fully, adding all of the ingredients that qualify it to be called "gravy," it will not have enough acidity and will fail or spoil.
In prior years, we froze our gravy, so we were not limited and could fully process and cook it (i.e., make it gravy). This time, our freezer was full so we decided to do as our ancestors and "can" our sauce. Before we started, we spoke with friends who had experience with canning, and read everything we could find on the subject. Now, we were ready to go. Maybe this wasn't the best project for husband and wife to undertake together. But this was to be a test run, only two jars.
First, we discovered that we didn't have all the right equipment. We searched the basement and pulled out a turkey frying pot (it wasn't a canning pot or pressure cooker but it seemed OK). We put the turkey basket in the pot and filled the pot with enough water to cover the jars that would be placed therein. The basket would make it easier to get the jars out, especially since we didn't have canning jar grabbers or whatever you call them. The basket would also help, we thought, to keep the jars off the bottom of the hot pot, which was directly over the heat.
After some cooking and cooling, we filled our jars with pulp (I think maybe I didn't stop pouring fast enough when Nancy said, "Stop"). We added a basil leaf (for flavor) and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice (for acidity).
At this point, Nancy insisted that the various articles called for using a spatula or spoon in your jar to stir out any air. I thought (out loud, unfortunately) that this step was unnecessary since you could "plainly see that there is no air in there." Next, the jars were capped, tightened (maybe not enough), and deposited in the warm water. Once the water boiled, we waited approximately 45 minutes (I say approximately because we did not use the timer and we are both over 50. If you're over 50, you know that story- and if you're not, shut up).
Then, there was this loud noise. Nancy said, "What did you do?"
I said, "Me? What did you do?"
At first we didn't notice anything, but then we saw that the pot cover had turned over and was covered with tomato sauce. So was the other side of the counter, the floor, the table in the dining room, the ceiling and oddly enough, a window about 15 feet away from the "blowout." After about 15 minutes, our curiosity became stronger than our sense of self-preservation and we decided to look into the pot, from a distance. There , in the pot, was one jar that had blown off its lid (we don't know how, it was screwed on). The other jar was intact, but only the top half of the jar had tomato sauce in it, the bottom half appeared to be all water that had separated. It caused me to think (out loud again, of course), "How is it that our sauce that is preserved is so thin and watery, and the sauce that blew all over our house is so thick and red, ...and tasty?"
Nancy, being more pragmatic (at least this time) thought (out loud), "I wonder if it will be safe to eat the one that didn't blow up?"
Maybe we'll do better next time.
Do you can your sauce? Have you had any mishaps? Is it sauce or is it gravy?
Comments
Funny story, but I didn't learn anything about making or preserving sauce, which is why I read it in the first place.
Sep 23, 2011 at 5:18 PM
I hope you learned what not to do, we did. We will be following up with a "How to do it right" article. Thank you for your feedback..
Chip & Nancy Mackrides
Sep 23, 2011 at 5:36 PM
This is exactly how I make fresh tomato sauce (not gravy) every year. My guess is that you didn't let the tomato puree simmer long enough before you canned it. I simmer it for hours and hours until it's very thick, with no (or very little) water in it. You get less sauce, but it's the real thing, and not watery. In over 30 years of canning tomato sauce and salsa, I've never had a single jar go bad.
Sep 23, 2011 at 9:50 PM
Thanks for the entertainment (out loud) in my case. I giggled and giggled. I've never canned before and only until this year have I considered the process. Guess its because I'm over 50 he he Thanks for sharing
Sep 24, 2011 at 12:35 AM
There is a much simpler way to can. Learned this from my Italian grandmother over 50 years ago and have been doing it my whole life. If you place the hot cooked tomatoes into very hot jars that have been submerged into boiling water, top with the lid that is also dipped into the boiling water, screw on the jar ring and just wait for the lid to pop and seal. Never had a single jar go bad.
Sep 25, 2011 at 11:23 AM
There is a much simpler way to can. Learned this from my Italian grandmother over 50 years ago and have been doing it my whole life. If you place the hot cooked tomatoes into very hot jars that have been submerged into boiling water, top with the lid that is also dipped into the boiling water, screw on the jar ring and just wait for the lid to pop and seal. Never had a single jar go bad.
Sep 25, 2011 at 11:24 AM
Since our initial "Trial and Tribulation" we have had a successful canning experience (3 actually) and now have about 30 jars! We intend to do a future article on what DOES work and incorporate the suggestions we have received!
Sep 26, 2011 at 2:30 PM
I've been canning tomato sauce for about 20 years just the way my mother-in-law taught me. I don't have any fancy juicer or tomato mill--I wash and stem the tomatoes, then cut them into chunks and cook them down with onions, green peppers, and garlic. After everything is soft, I put it through an old fashioned aluminum canning sieve on a stand and push as much pulp and juice through as possible. Then I put the squeezed pulp through the blender and back in the sieve again. This makes your sauce much thicker--much less waste. When all of the veggies are processed, the sauce goes back on the stove with basil and oregano and cooks down until quite thick. At the end I add some brown sugar and salt and then can in the pressure cooker. The FDA doesn't recommend canning tomato sauce in hot water bath canners any more. Great sauce every time!!
Sep 26, 2011 at 9:32 PM
Very funny article......congrats on your success canning 30 jars! Just takes a little practice..
Sep 27, 2011 at 1:59 PM
Aprilyn,
Thanks! That sounds terrific and delicious! Do you use olive oil when you are cooking everything? I wasn't sure how that would affect the keeping time of the jars.
Sep 27, 2011 at 2:02 PM
No oil needed--there is enough juice from the tomatoes to keep everything cooking. I just stir it every 5-10 minutes to keep from burning on the bottom.
Sep 27, 2011 at 8:30 PM
Mackrides
Look for our upcoming article where we show you the easy way or practical way, the USDA recommendations, and the safe way to can tomatoes and tomato sauce. this article lays it all out for you.
Oct 19, 2011 at 11:25 PM
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