I would like to use my own recipe for pasta sauce can i can it?

Sorry, no. One of the number one rules in homecanning is never can your own recipes.
There are safety tested ones for sauces you can use.

If you would care to post the full recipes that you wish to use we would be happy to evaluate them for safety.

Otherwise, as Linda Lou said only approved and tested recipes are safe for home canning. Many are available. I have linked the approved and tested tomato-based recipes available from NCHFP below and they offer several sauces. Additional approved recipes are posted in this previous discussions.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP - Approved Tomato Based Recipes

Yikes! I should be dead by now. Been canning all kinds of tomato sauces -- from cookbook recipes to my own -- using the boiling water method for years.

And the jars last more than a year, up to two or three years. I use the sauces straight out of the jar over pasta often. After a year though I use the tip of the tongue tiny taste test and smell test to make sure all is still well.

My bible is Stocking Up III by Carol Hupping in conjunction with the Rodale folks. You can find it in most libraries.

Good luck all!

Joan

Taste and smell will not work for botulism!! Bringing the product to a boil once opened can render it safe for the short term. If you do make your own pasta sauce, avoid oils, cheese, and most anything that would add extra low acid density like peppers, garlic, or onions. Instead, these can be dried products and will absorb the acidic liquid of the sauce. Adding citric acid is very necessary though.

Like you Joan, many have been "doing it for years". That doesn't mean it is safe. ;) In fact repeated testing has proven that it isn't. But to each his own level of risk I guess. Since botulism toxin has no odor or taste or smell but does kill, please take care.

Just in case you come back to read any follow-up to your post, please be advised that both of the books you mention are extremely outdated as the guidelines have been updated 2x since they were published. So the recipes provided in them should be used with great care.

If you care to review the current guidelines I have linked them for you below.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: USDA - National Center for Home Food Processing

Joan, I wouldn't say you should be dead, but based on the odds it's much more likely that you could have died from your canning than someone following the guidelines. People have to make their own decisions about what's safe, but it's important to think about what you're serving other people.

I don't worry much about eating a little mold or bacteria here or there, and if eating undercooked egg dishes gets me salmonella someday, well it was worth it and I'll pull through. But botulism is the real deal. It doesn't care if you're young and healthy, and it can leave you paralyzed but fully conscious for weeks, if it doesn't kill you. No thanks.

Again, if you choose to can your own recipes, that's a decision you can make for yourself and other consenting adults. But please do read up a bit on the most recent safety guidelines, so you can make an informed decision about what odds you want to play.

Melissa

How can I find out if my recipe is safe? Would I be better off freezing it?