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Spaghetti sauce canning recipe question

17 years ago

I finally got my batch of spaghetti sauce canned this week, it went from a 2-night project to a 3-night project, whew. I'm still not 100% happy with it, even after hours and hours of cooking it still separates, but it tastes fine so that's what will have to do. lol It's very thick with small puddles that form, and I got more out of it than the recipe said, but it's all for my BF and myself so it's not like I'm entering it in competition. It might just be the tomatoes, they were impossible to peel even in the boiling water vat.

My question is about my next batch. Nearly all the recipes I've seen and/or used call for the 30 pounds of tomatoes and then the 1 cup onion, 1 cup green pepper OR celery, 1 pound optional mushrooms. I like that recipe, it's got all the stuff in it I like. Then I doctor the seasonings and add some wine, and it's got my signature on it. But I saw a recipe in a book I have, Blue Ribbon Preserves, that calls for 15 pounds of tomatoes, with 1 cup onions, 1 cup mushrooms, etc. Sometimes I get overly paranoid about the onion in canning and this ratio is slightly heavier on the onion. What's the rule of thumb? The recipe calls for pressure canner processing, which is how I did my recent project, and it's actually fine because then I feel more comfortable with it. But how much onion could I have put in the batch with the 30 pounds of tomatoes? Could I have increased it a little?

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Comments (5)

Linda_Lou
17 years ago
No, adding more low acid items to a tested recipe will make it unsafe. You can substitute one for another, like use only part of the cup of onion and use more celery, as long as the total amount is the same.
Linda_Lou
17 years ago
Here is the link to the recipe and it says:
PROCEDURE: CAUTION: DO NOT INCREASE THE PROPORTION OF
ONIONS, PEPPERS OR MUSHROOMS.

Here is a link that might be useful: Safety on spaghetti sauce.
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There are tested recipes on the NCHFP's Web site. There is one without meat and one with meat. Take a look and see if you think you might like them. They do require a pressure canner, however. I don't can mine, only because I get too creative and throw all kinds of stuff in the sauce. And I know that's a big No-No. So I freeze it instead :-) Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP Canning Tomatoes and Tomato Products
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annette, You will want to use a smaller amount of dried basil (since it concentrates & shrinks when it dries). I'd suggest about a quarter of the amount given for fresh. OR, if you have other fresh herbs, you can use them instead of some of the basil. I often make that recipe with a mix of basil, oregano, summer savoury, etc. As long as you keep the total amount of fresh herbs the same as or less than in the recipe, it's fine. Good luck!
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I agree it's extra work but sometimes it's more manageable to deal with a smaller batch of tomatoes than a full 30 pounds, depending upon your kitchen and your experience. There might also be a space consideration. How much extra room does your freezer have? If you are up to doing the entire batch at once and there's enough freezer space to accomodate the tomatoes, then Dave's suggestion is a more efficient one. Carol
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motochick
Original Author
17 years ago
So is 1 cup the limit, whether it's 30 pounds or 15 pounds of tomatoes?
readinglady
17 years ago
I like "Blue Ribbon Preserves," but some of its recipes don't follow currant canning guidelines and I avoid those. The curd is an example. Hence, the caution about using some of its recipes without careful checking.

However, comparing the recipe on page 254 (I'm assuming it's that one and not the "Easy Spaghetti Sauce") to the one in "So Easy to Preserve," which is a standard, safe canning guide, the 15-pounds of tomatoes recipe calls for 2 cups of low-acid vegetables (1 cup each onions and sliced mushrooms) plus let's say an added 1/2 cup of assorted fresh herbs. It also has increased acidity with the cup of red wine. The oil is precisely half of that in the "So Easy to Preserve Recipe" as is the tomato weight.

The "So Easy to Preserve" recipe calls for 2 cups of low-acid vegetables, not including the pound of mushrooms, which is about another 6 cups sliced or 2-3 cups cooked down. In other words, double the tomatoes and more than double the low-acid veggies than the "Blue Ribbon Preserves" recipe. The processing time (also pressure canned) is also 10 minutes less for pints than "Blue Ribbon Preserves", which calls for a full 30 minutes for pints.

I'm not "official" so take it for what it's worth, but in this case I'd feel comfortable canning a recipe more acid and processed for a longer time than the University of Georgia-approved one in "So Easy to Preserve."

Carol
motochick
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks so much Carol, you answered my question perfectly. I saw a couple of other recipes in the book that seemed questionable, although, like you, I like that book too.

I think I'll just stick to the standard spaghetti sauce recipe and if I make a batch with 15 pounds of tomatoes, I'll just halve everything else so it's still in the same proportions. I'll skip the Blue Ribbon Preserves Spaghetti Sauce for now, lol

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