Learn How to Make Your Own Flavor-packed Crushed Tomatoes

Making your own canned tomatoes is an activity worth giving a shot. It requires a little patience, where the results definitely pay off. It’s not just healthy, but packs a flavor punch like no other commercially-packed sauce.

When you make canned tomatoes, the best kind to use are Roma tomatoes. Use the crushed tomatoes within three to four days, since without properly preserving them, they can go bad. To extend its life and not worry about spoilage, pour the final mixture in a freezer bag before popping it into the freezer. Let’s take a look at how to make this concoction.

How to Make Canned Tomatoes at Home

It is important not to include the skin, seeds, or hard bits of a tomato if you want a smooth sauce that doesn’t end up with these gritty bits in your meal. Using the following recipe, prepare the canned tomato mix and then follow the instructions of how to can it, in canning tomatoes. Disinfect the mason jar prior to using it for the sauce.

Recipe 1

What You’ll Need:

• 6 medium-sized Roma tomatoes
• 2 tbsp. of olive oil
• 1 tbsp. of lemon juice
• ½ tsp. of salt (add more if required)
• 1 tbsp. of sugar (optional)
• Mason jar (pint)
• 1 tbsp. of dried chives (optional)
• ½ tsp. of dried mint
• 1 tsp. of dried basil

Method:

• Blanch the tomatoes for 45 seconds in boiling water, so that the skin comes off, easily.
• Peel the tomatoes and then deseed them, using a sharp knife to remove the seeds from the fleshy portions that hold them. Get rid of other unwanted parts of the tomato like the stalk.
• Slice the tomatoes into chunky bits; there’s no need to dice or slice them. You can roughly chop them up. There’s no need to mash it up in any way, either.
• In a large nonstick saucepan, add the olive oil, salt, and 1/6th of the tomato chunks to it.
• Let it come to a boil, stirring continuously to help it reduce. Add the rest of the tomatoes once the previous batch starts to liquefy.
• Add the lemon juice to the mason jar. Using a strainer, filter the puree through it by placing it over the jar’s mouth. Don’t fill the jar up till its brim. You must leave at least ½ an inch of space from the lid’s underside. Seal the jar tightly and let it cool down to room temperature; place it in the refrigerator for later use. Be sure to reseal the jar properly every time you use the sauce, or it’ll go bad sooner than expected.
• Do not place the jar in the freezer or it’ll break from the icy sauce’s expansion.

If you use a pressure canner, you’ll be able to extend the life of a batch, with the chances of spoiling greatly reduced. This additional step will also intensify the sauce’s flavor. You’ll need to buy a pressure canner for this to be possible, where it doesn’t require being a rocket scientist to learn how to use one in the final stages of canning tomatoes.

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