If you have made sauce before you know that you need to remove the skins and the seeds from your tomatoes in order to make a good sauce, this was not something that I was going to do with hundreds of cherry tomatoes so I just washed them and threw them into the slow cooker. I did remove the skins and seeds for the big tomatoes. This is easy if you place them in a pot of boiling water for about a minute and then transfer the tomatoes into a bowl with cold water. The skins will fall off of the tomatoes with just a little help. Once you have removed the skins cut the tomatoes in half and scrape out all of the seeds from the insides and throw them into the slow cooker (or pot) with the other tomatoes.
I chose to use the slow cooker this time around because I do not need to continually stir and watch my sauce. I am making small batches of sauce this way instead of one huge batch. I filled the slow cooker with tomatoes leaving enough room for the garlic, basil, and sugar. I don't measure when I make sauce...but I will give you estimates.
For flavor I added fresh basil from our garden, fresh garlic, and about a 1/4 cup of sugar. I chopped the basil had about 3/4 of a cup to add into the sauce. AfterI had removed the skin from the garlic (one and a half bulbs)I minced it with my handy garlic press, best kitchen device ever. I added the basil, garlic, and sugar to my tomatoes and turned the slow cooker on low. If you are using a water bath instead of pressure canning you must make sure to add lemon juice to the tomato mixture. It is important that this extra acidity is in the tomatoes when processing with a water bath. I did not add lemon juice since I am pressure canning and have never added lemon juice when I process sauce in this manner. |
This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small percentage of the sale if you make a purchase using these links.
|
Once the time is up allow everything to cool on its own. Do not remove the weights from the canner because it will let the steam out and things will cool more quickly. After you remove the jars place them in an area that is out of the way from drafts so that they continue to cool on their own. I always invert my jars while they are cooling, this is something that I was taught to do when I first started canning. I have no idea if it is necessary, but I still do it.
Make sure to label and date your jars and store them in a cool, dry place. When it is time to use your sauce pay attention to the lids. If any of the lids flex up and down do not use the sauce and like any food if there is an unpleasant odor throw it away. Canning is a simple process and can help you utilize more of the vegetables from your garden, but like anything sometimes it does not work. I have had very few jars of food go bad, but it is obvious when they should not be eaten...just pay attention.