One of my favorite garden delights. Basil tomato sauce. I have been making this sauce for over 12 years now. I don't think that I could end a summer without having jars of this goodness in my pantry. Looks yummy right? It's so easy to make. Can I show you how?
Let's go out to the garden and do a little picking. We have lots of red ripe tomatoes. Now if you don't have a garden head out to a farm stand or farmers market. The price for bulk canning tomatoes is very reasonable.
Look at all of this basil. Mmmmmm! I sure hope I can use it all. I also planted lemon basil and cinnamon basil. The lemon basil tastes great with zucchini and chicken and fish(yuk). The cinnamon basil I haven't used yet. Have you tried cinnamon basil? If so what did you make? Alright lets get on with sauce making. We need to skin the tomatoes. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add tomatoes a few at a time to remove the skins.
Plunge the fruit into ice water to stop the cooking process. Slip the skin off.
Cut the tomatoes and add them to a large stock pot and start cooking.
I like to use a potato masher to crush the fruit. It works great.
Next chop up the basil. Add it to the pot. Bring the sauce to a boil and simmer on low for about 2 hours.
Make sure your jars are sterilized. Follow the directions that came with your water bath canner. Add 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice and 1 teaspoon salt to each quart jar. If you are using pint jars it's 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Fill with the basil tomato sauce.
Place jars in your water bath canner and process for 45 minutes. If you don't want to can your sauce just put it in freezer containers. It tastes just as good. There is almost nothing better than opening a jar of summer sunshine in the cold of winter. My favorite way to use my sauce is add a little heavy cream and parmesan cheese. Serve it with pasta. You could also add some tomato paste and it tastes better than spaghetti sauce. I hope you give it a try. I promise you won't regret all your time and effort.
13 comments:
Your tomato harvest looks huge! Tasty looking sauce too...I've got a wee bit saved in the freezer from my tomatoes this year. I betcha I'll have eaten it all by the end of October :-)
Wow! Nice crop of basil. I snipped a couple leaves from my one, lone, skinny grasshopper-eaten plant. Next year I'm planting a bunch! Did this amount of basil go into one stockpot? I've been too skimpy!!!
Yum! I looks so good. I can almost smell the basil...
Thanks for the info. Canning is the one thing I've been holding out on. I need to plunge in. Do you think I can make it and freeze it? If I do do I skip the lemon juice?
I just used my last home canned jar of tomatoes from two summers ago. We didn't put in a garden this year, so it was nice to have a supply of "fresh" tomatoes in the pantry. This sauce looks yummy. How many jars did you put up?
Love your basil! Mine got huge, then 'skinnied up' but I made tons of basil pesto before it sort of shriveled. I just finished making my salsa-I freeze everything though. I used to can it all. Too busy to can it. But I was so pleased with the salsa! My husband and son just went wild over it. I used my own herb flavored vinegar in it, and I think it made a nice difference.
I'm trying to put you on my "following" list, but it isn't working right now. Anyway, I love our visits.
Debra
Oh my goodness, those jars are really beautiful! I love home-canned tomatoes and juice. I've never canned sauce with basil, but I just might give it a try next year after seeing yours. Great work!
It sounds and looks delicious. I'm regretting that I never got around to planting basil last spring.
Love, love, love the tutorial on canning tomato-basil sauce...Iprinted it off and saved in the computer as well so next year I can make it! Yours looks yummy!
Jadite and enamel wear! Oh, yes, I love your kitchen. I've never heard of cinnamon basil but I love all basil I have tasted so I know I would like it. I use it like lettuce.
Tomato sauce with basil is the best. I love it just as is on a plate of pasta. Add some garlic bread. Who needs meat?
Hi Sis..
So when is Dinner????
Wow, I love Basil, I love coming here and seeing what you do with all that you have in your garden..
Martha Stewart watch out lol.. I don't know of anyone or if anyone does any kind of canning here in Hawaii, but when I was staioned in Kentucky I had neighbors who did and boy let me tell you I enjoyed eating all that they blessed me with while living there. Thanks for sharing!!
Hugz Lorie
The tomatoes and basil and parsley are in the pot simmering. I have only enough for 1 quart right now so I'll freeze. If we don't eat it up right away.
We must be on the same wavelength, becasue I just made a chicken dish with diced tomatoes with garlic, oregano, and basil. My favorite!
Mine was not farm fresh like yours of course, but it wAs still tasty.
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