Canned Tomato Sauce

Our tomato bushes were producing well into the cold weather this year. Since we moved at the end of May we weren’t able to start our garden until the first full week of June. This meant that when the weather started to turn cold our tomato plants were still full of green tomatoes. I brought all of the green tomatoes inside and ripened them. The process took about a month, but then I was faced with the problem of having a glut of tomatoes all at once!I decided to canning tomato sauce was a good way to use all of the tomatoes in one fell swoop. I was able to can six pints of tomato sauce.Tomato SauceTomatoesCitric Acid, Salt, Italian Seasoning HerbsPrepare the canner, jars and lids.Wash all the tomatoes removing stems and any discolored areas. Quarter the tomatoes and put into a stock pot. Boil the tomatoes while mashing with a potato masher. While you are waiting for the tomatoes to boil set up your Victorio Food Strainer.(This is not a necessary part, but I have done this both ways and I strongly recommend investing in the Victorio 250. It will make your life SO much easier when you go to can things.) Process all your tomatoes through the Victorio in batches. You may want to process the pulpy remains through a few additional times. I find I typically get additional pulp each time I process it through. Discard all skins and seeds.Return the mixture to the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil until mixture is reduced by one third for a thin sauce and one half for a thick sauce. Before you fill each of the jars add salt, citric acid and herbs. ( Per Pint: ¼ Teaspoon Citric Acid, ½ Teaspoon Salt, ½ Teaspoon Herbs) Fill jars, leaving a ½ Inch headspace. Remove bubbles, wipe rim and add lid. Place the jars in a water bath canner and process for 35 minutes for Pint Jars.