Spaghetti Sauce a.k.a. "Bottled Sunshine" <$10

 

I scored two bushels of tomatoes from a local farmer for free, and countless neighbors offer up their surplus tomatoes via facebook. I also grow my own tomatoes, but if you don't have your own you can buy boxes of tomato "seconds" (tomatoes that are split/not visually perfect) for half the price of pretty tomatoes. Ugly tomatoes make great sauce.

How to make roughly 17 pints of delicious homemade spaghetti sauce:

• 1 bushel (around 200) tomatoes, any variety (Romas are best, but any tomato will do)
• 1 large white onion, finely chopped
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1-2 heads garlic, minced
• 1-2 T. dried basil
• dried oregano
• black pepper
• 2 swirls around the pot of balsamic vinegar
• 1/4-1/2 c. sugar (to taste...it eliminates the "earthy" flavor)
• kosher salt (add to taste after sauce has reduced completely)

Blanch the tomatoes and run them through a food mill like this one. Or you can pull off the skins and cores and throw the remaining tomato in your Blendtec. Put the tomato liquid/pulp in a huge pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add everything except the sugar and salt. Simmer lightly with lid off until liquid has reduced by half (this is why Romas are best-they are meaty and have less liquid, so you're done faster). Stir now and then to keep anything from burning to the bottom of the pot. (This will take several hours.) Once the consistency looks like spaghetti sauce, turn off the heat and add your salt and sugar. Season everything to taste. Make it how you like it!

Pressure can in pint jars for 15 minutes at 13 lb/pressure for Utah's elevation. You can find all canning times online here.

I have been doing this for a few years, so I don't have to buy jars anymore. A dozen pint jars runs about $8. Once you own the jars all you have to buy is new lids, which are really cheap. To make sauce I only ever need to buy the onions and lids...everything else is a pantry staple.

I use this sauce for pasta and as a marinara dipping sauce for mozzarella sticks. I simmer it a bit to thicken it for pizza. It is so good that sometimes I just eat it by the spoonful with my eyes closed because I can taste summer and sunshine in it. Several of my friends refer to this sauce as "Bottled Sunshine."

*Canning is more fun with a friend. My friend Michelle taught me how to can and this is the recipe we developed together from the McBride's base recipe. We have spent many hours over the years visiting and laughing and being splattered to death while we make our sauce. Spaghetti sauce is a memory I'll always treasure with her. Spaghetti sauce is also a guarantee that I will deep-clean my kitchen once a year.