Making Sauces for Canning – w/recipes

I do a few sauces every year, and this year the first was Sweet Sausage. It is one my paternal grandmother used to make often.

We never measure, so if you try it, just play with the amounts some to taste. Meat to sauce ratios are about 1 cooked meat to 3 or 4 sauce, and ½ med to lg sweet onion.

First I partially cook the Sweet Sausage with some olive oil…

Then add in a palm full of Oregano, 1/4 that amount of Basil, some black pepper, garlic powder if I am in the mood...and the fairly fine chopped Sweet onion. Mix it in, and add the sauce along with some water to give it plenty of room to reduce while it simmers.

The tomato sauce for meet sauces (and really any sweet sauces) is free of skin and seeds. To make this, blanch and peel your tomatoes, cook them down in some water, then run them through a mesh strainer fine enough to catch the seeds. If you like it super smooth, you can run it through the blender before canning it. But I have jars that I canned before, ready to use.

Last I add 3 Bayberry Leaves (this equals 2 regular bay leaves)

Let it all simmer for a couple hours while I get all my jars clean and canning area set up, then I add about 1 C tomato paste for a full pot...then can it.

Tomato paste is made with beefsteak tomatoes, with the same process as the sauce, then reduce, reduce, reduce...It just cuts down on the cooking time when you make sauces. You can simply simmer your sauce until it thickens if you prefer.

Next I made Mushroom Sauce...

I like to at least half fill the pot with cut mushrooms, because they cook down alot.

Then I add 2 med course chopped sweet onions, a handful of Oregano, 1/4 that amount of Basil, salt, and black pepper. I also add alot of olive oil, then cook until the onions are milky. (if it seems dry at all, add more oil)

Then I add the same ratio of sauce to mushroom/onion as I did with the sweet sausage...add 3 Bayberry leaves, and simmer for a few hours...then can.

And last this year was onion and garlic sauce...

I used 2 lg coarse chopped Sweet Onions, and an entire bulb of pressed garlic...

Cook these down slightly in a good amount of olive oil...then I add my palm full of Oregano, 1/4 that amount of Basil, salt, black pepper...and continue cooking for a bit longer.

Next I add in the tomato sauce, and some quartered tomatoes I had canned before and wanted to use up... 

Let it all simmer for a few hours and then just before canning I add in a couple cups of Pine Nuts. They will cook down just right through the canning process. Then can it up. 

It tastes a bit like Marinara sauce, and is great with fish, or simmered with zuccini...or on cheesy pastas

ALL meat and Veggie sauces are pressure canned, so check your altitude pressure and times...I recommend at least an inch of head space, because sauces do expand, and these have a good amount of oil in them.