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Last Saturday, Pat and Brian Bush (the farmers we have our CSA with) offered up as many sauce tomatoes as Rob and I could hold which ended up being about 8 pounds.  I was going to make my favorite spicy marinara but the idea of buying tomato paste to add to an otherwise all-local/organic sauce just seemed somehow wrong.  So at 11:30 this morning, I started with the 8 pounds of tomatoes, two bell peppers, two onions, two carrots and four cloves of garlic and now I have five half-cup jars of tomato paste with the most wonderful, crisp flavor. 

This is my third consecutive canning experience where I didn't set my stove on fire (first two canning attempts included fire but also a couple of lovely jellies) - I'm starting to think I might be on to something.  As a little treat for myself, I picked up Mes Confitures, The Jams and Jellies of Christine Ferber.  Yellow Peach Jam with Lavender Honey is a strong contender for my first try out of her book.  Oddly, her processing instructions are minimal - in fact, the only direction she gives is to turn the jars upside down after filling and allow to cool.  Out of curiosity, I tried it with a jar of hot, fresh cucumber relish last week and sure enough the jar sealed, but I don't know enough about canning to know if it sealed in a way that prevents bacterial growth.  For the time being, I'll stick with my water bath canner.

I'd love to hear your canning tips and recipes!  Post them as comments or email me at HeyYou@SarahBethJones.com.

Meanwhile, from Canning & Preserving for Dummies:

Tomato Paste
8 pounds tomatoes, stems and cores removed (don't worry about the skin or seeds)
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
2 small onions, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled

Puree all ingredients in small batches in a food processor.  Pour puree into a mesh strainer laid over a large pot, pressing to remove the liquid.  Discard remaining pulp.  (I didn't see much carrot juice so added a spoonful of pulp to the pot.)  Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, allowing to boil uncovered for 4 to 5 hours, until the liquid is visibly thickened and reduced to a fourth or fifth its original volume, stirring occassionally.

Partially cover; reduce heat as the liquid thickens, stirring frequently.  Your paste is thick enough when a spoonful stay mounded on the spoon.

While this is cooking, prepare your jars and two-piece caps (click here for the basics on water canning)

Ladle hot puree into prepared jars, leaving a 1/4 inch headspace.  Process 30 minutes from the point of boiling.

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