Canned tomato sauce

Ingredients

Preparation

1. In the large saucepan, boil the mason jars with their lids and rings. Allow them to dry on clean dishtowels.
2. Wash and dry the tomatoes. Cut them in two to make sure they are not spoiled inside. Put one large bucket on each side of the tomato press—one to collect the pulp and juice, and the other to collect the skin and seeds. Press the tomatoes. Run the skin and seeds through the press two more times to extract as much juice and pulp as possible. Throw out or compost the skin and seeds. Pour the juice and pulp into a pot on the propane cooker. Repeat until all of the tomatoes have been pressed.
3. Set the propane cooker to high heat. Bring the juice and pulp to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and continue cooking for about 1 hour or until a thick, chunky texture is obtained. Stir and skim the surface regularly.
4. During this time, heat the oven to 225 °F and put the mason jars in for 20 minutes to sterilize them. Turn off the oven and leave the jars inside until the sauce is ready. The jars must remain very hot.
5. Put a few basil leaves at the bottom of each jar and fill with very hot tomato sauce until the first line under the spout. Wipe the rim of the jar with a clean dishtowel. Put a lid and ring on each jar and loosely close all the jars.
6. Put the jars in their boxes and close the boxes. Set the boxes aside and cover with a large warm blanket. Let rest under the blanket for 48 to 72 hours. By sealing through the action of heat, the jars will make a “pop” sound, and the centre of the lid will curve down, giving it a concave shape. If a jar does not seal correctly, start over, freeze the jar of sauce, or refrigerate the jar for quick use.