Before you begin, review Water-Bath Canning 101 for the complete method and safety fundamentals.
Yield: 9 pints or 7 quarts
Ingredients
- Thin sauce: average 21 pounds tomatoes for 9 pints or 35 pounds for 7 quarts
- Thick sauce: average 28 pounds tomatoes for 9 pints or 46 pounds for 7 quarts
- Bottled lemon juice or citric acid in the exact amount below
- Canning salt, optional: up to ½ teaspoon per pint or 1 teaspoon per quart
Instructions
- Wash tomatoes, remove stems, and trim bruised or discolored portions.
- Heat and crush the tomatoes as for tomato juice, simmer 5 minutes, then press through a sieve or food mill to remove skins and seeds.
- Simmer in a wide saucepan until reduced by about one-third for thin sauce or by one-half for thick sauce. Stir often to prevent scorching.
- Fill hot jars with hot sauce, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Remove bubbles if needed, recheck headspace, clean rims, and apply lids and bands.
Boiling-water processing time
Add acid directly to every jar before filling. For each pint, use 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice or ¼ teaspoon citric acid. For each quart, use 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice or ½ teaspoon citric acid. Sugar may be added to soften the tart flavor; do not reduce or omit the acid.
| Jar size | 0–1,000 ft | 1,001–3,000 ft | 3,001–6,000 ft | Above 6,000 ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pints | 35 min | 40 min | 45 min | 50 min |
| Quarts | 40 min | 45 min | 50 min | 55 min |
Notes
Cool, check, and store:
Always follow the current linked source and your equipment manufacturer’s instructions.
Tested source: National Center for Home Food Preservation tested procedure