This summer the tomatoes in my garden grew beautifully. With our summer season coming to an end I have been looking for a way to keep them stocked in my pantry all year long. Luckily I found the perfect recipe to keep that taste alive all winter by using canning.
Summer Canning 101: Roasted Garlic Roma Tomato Sauce
Canning + food preservation is one of those arts, especially here in the South. Today I’m teaming up with my friends at Ball Canning for a little “Canning 101” to show you how incredibly easy and fun it is to can yourself and capture all the flavors of summer in a little jar.
If you’ve never tried canning before, not to worry. I’m walking you through all the essential tools you’ll need and a step-by-step recipe for a delicious Tomato Sauce that I know your family can enjoy in these next few cold months. I was pretty intimidated before I tried canning for the first time but once I read more about it and tried it for the first time I was hooked.
Summer Canning 101 : Roasted Garlic Roma Tomato Sauce
- Yield: 3 (32 oz.) Quart Jars 1x
Ingredients
- Before we get started, here is a quick list of tools you’ll need to begin canning :
- Ball® RM Pint Jars with Lids + Bands
- Water bath canner
- Jar lifter
- Common kitchen utensils (like a wooden spoon, knives + masher)
- Large saucepan or Dutch oven
- Canning funnel
- Bubble remover / headspace tool
- 9–10 lbs. Roma style tomatoes, rinsed
- 3 small whole heads of garlic
- 2 medium onions, small diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. fresh oregano, minced
- 2 tbsp. fresh basil, minced
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
- Ball Citric Acid or bottled lemon juice
Instructions
- Roast tomatoes, in batches, on a grill or under a broiler until skins begin to wrinkle and blacken slightly, turning to roast on all sides. Repeat with remaining tomatoes. Place finished tomatoes in a large bowl.
- Cover bowl of tomatoes tightly with plastic wrap. Let tomatoes steam and cool until they are easy to handle. Remove peel and core tomatoes. Slice each one in half and remove seeds; dice into 1-inch chunks. Place diced tomatoes, and any collected juices, into a large saucepan.
- Slice top portion of the heads of garlic, revealing the cloves below, drizzle 1 teaspoon olive oil over cloves in each head. Wrap garlic tightly in aluminum foil and place top side down on the grill with tomatoes; grill until soft, about 30 minutes. Or, roast in a 350 oven for 60 minutes.
- Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready to use, do not boil. Wash lids in warm soapy water and set aside with bands.
- Remove roasted garlic by squeezing the softened heads of garlic allowing the cloves to pop out. Combine garlic, onions, herbs, salt and pepper with tomatoes. Cook over medium heat until heated through, stirring occasionally.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon citric acid or 2 tablespoons lemon juice to a hot jar; ladle hot sauce into hot jar leaving a 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rim. Center lid on jar and apply band, adjust to fingertip tight. Place jar in boiling water canner. Repeat until all jars are filled.
- Process jars 40 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat, remove lid, let jars stand 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool 12-24 hours. Check lids for seal, they should not flex when center is pressed.
PRO TIP : Pay special attention to the instruction’s required headspace measurement, this recipe calls for 1/2″.
It really is so fun and easy to can in your own home. If you have any questions, you can always reference the “Canning 101” section on the Ball® website, it will show you a great step-by-step. Just make sure you keep everything sanitized to minimize any chance of compromising and not properly storing your filled jars.
I’m so excited to be able to preserve these bright and fresh flavors of tomatoes sauce. And, Ball® even has these really cute jar labels over on their site that you can download and print on labels to decorate and customize your own jars.
I’d love to know if you’ve ever canned before or if you’re giving it a try for the first time by sharing with us at #heirloomed and #yesyoucan. And in case you love it as much as I do, pop over here for even more recipes you can try or if you’d rather a hardcopy (like me) Ball® has a great Canning Book. Let me know what you pair your tomato sauce with this fall!
Please note, this post is sponsored by Ball® Fresh Preserving Products by Newell Brands; however, all thoughts and opinions are my own. To support our content and storytelling I love to share brands with you that I love and that are authentic to my lifestyle.
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