I am excited to share with you today a post from my blogger friend – Libby, from Health, Love & Fire. Make sure to check out her blog and stop by to say hello! You can check out some of the amazing things she has been up to lately like making her own Wine and this DIY head board for her bed! In this blog post I am excited to have Libby sharing her amazing tomato canning recipe with you all!
Hi, I’m Libby and I blog over at Health, Love & Fire. If you follow me over there you can usually find me writing about my life as a firefighter’s wife, traveling, photography, cooking and lots of DIY projects. Any given week you can usually find me either working on a project or day dreaming about my next one. My love for crafting started at an early age. I can remember spending hours with my parents making homemade Christmas gifts for family and friends several years in a row. From weaved baskets to pottery tiles, it was something fun to do together as a family and something inexpensive but meaningful to gift to others.
As an adult, I find myself constantly thinking about my next diy project or spending hours on Pinterest (nearly every man’s worst nightmare) getting new ideas and inspiration. If it weren’t for work getting in the way, I would probably do something crafty every day of the week! I am also a thrifty gal and try to get the best deals I can. I’m that girl, who is constantly looking for new projects, but won’t buy everything for them unless I can reuse something, find a coupon, or find supplies at goodwill or a garage sale!
With fall just arriving and the smell of pumpkin and apples already in the air, our summer garden is nearly ready for its final harvest. My husband and I belong to a community garden, which we joined for the first time this year. For $12 and 12 hours of work per person you get all the fruits and vegetables you want for 7 months. This has been a great option for us and has really changed the way we eat. There’s just something so great about knowing where everything you’re eating is coming from. Plus, it tastes better when it’s so fresh! If this is something you’re interested in, I would definitely recommend looking for a local community garden in your area!|
With all the fresh produce we’ve gotten from our garden, we’ve been busy in the kitchen the last few weeks. One of my favorite things about this time of year is making homemade tomato sauce! We’ve gone through nearly 125 pounds of tomatoes and have about 45 quart sized jars of sauce to last us for at least the next year (depending on how many my parents sneak out of our pantry). While you definitely don’t have to tackle as many tomatoes as we have, it’s a great way to make a healthy sauce to use whenever you need some! I love being able to run to the pantry and use this healthy hearty sauce all year long for pizzas, pastas, lasagna, or chicken parm. It’s definitely not the quickest process, but the perfect reason to grab a friend and spend the day in your apron, listening to music, and chatting in the kitchen!
Here’s the recipe we used and have had great results from!
Ingredients:
½ bushel of tomatoes
3lbs. chopped onions
4 green peppers
3 hot peppers
1 garlic bud
1 cup sugar
½ cup salt
1 tbs. oregano
1 tbs. basil
4 tbs. Italian seasoning
For the tomatoes you have two options. You can either blanch them and take the skin off and then put them in the pan or process them through a tomato strainer (for this method you don’t need to cook them first). We used the tomato strainer because it seemed to go quicker, but blanching them works just as good.
I cook all of these ingredients on medium heat in a heavy bottomed pan until the sauce is the consistency you want. This can vary depending on the amount of juice in the tomatoes and what your preference is. For us it took about 4 hours to cook down to what we liked.
Once it is the consistency you want, ladle into pint or quart jars and seal. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 45 minutes.
Let the jars sit on the counter for at least 24 hours to make sure they are sealed correctly. After those 24 hours either store for the year or try some on your favorite pasta (Gluten-free for me please J). Oh and don’t forget to let me know if you try this recipe and like it!
Do you have any canning recipes that are a staple in your kitchen?
I’d love to meet new bloggers and have you join me on my journey through blog land and diy projects! Come check out some of the latest projects going on in my kitchen & my house, including recipes for gluten-free pumpkin snickerdoodles, a tutorial on my new headboard, and my latest canning adventure!! Hope to meet you soon!
Make sure to swing by Libby’s blog and check out some of the amazing projects she has going on!
I love how creative this girl is! You can follower her blog – HERE or get connected in other ways by following her on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
XO Samantha