Well, this weekend was a wash. No, I didn't re-do the chocolate cupcakes from last Sunday and no, I haven't had the chance to re-purpose the old mirror I found. I did however, get the chance to preserve 16 pint jars of my mom's homemade spaghetti sauce. It took 5 hours total, to make & prepare the spaghetti sauce from fresh tomatoes and then to preserve it all... but it was worth it! Plus it will taste much better than any store bought jar!
I won't give up my mom's recipe... its a secret! But I will direct you on how to preserve your own recipe for preservation. Remember, never preserve your sauce with meat included. When you take out the sauce for meal preparation, cook/brown your chosen meat and then add your sauce.
First, decide how much sauce you can use for one meal. My husband, daughter and myself rarely use more than 1 pint so I purchased Pint Sized Jars with Lids and Metal Rings. You can use Quart Sized jars if you have a bigger family or use more sauce than 1 pint can provide. Begin by sterilizing the jars, lids and rings in the dishwasher. Boil the jars (upside down), lids and rings in a pot for about 10 minutes, for further sterilization. Fill the jars with your sauce, leaving about 1/2 an inch of head space in the jar. Affix lid and metal ring with fingertip pressure and process in a boiling water bath (a large soup pot filled with boiling water) for 35-40 minutes. Remember to place a metal rack in the bottom of the boiling water canner, to prevent the bubbles from knocking your jars against one another.
Allow to cool slightly in the boiling water bath for about 10 minutes, then remove to a counter top to cool completely. Then once completely cooled (12-24 hours) check for your vacuum seal. For further instructions on how to check for a vacuum seal, see my post on canning fresh cherries.
This is a fabulous way to have home-cooked spaghetti all year round, without having to spend hours preparing the meal!
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