This one is from the Complete Guide to Home Canning and Preserving and has been tested to assure canning safety. This recipe uses a pressure canner for the jarring step.

Classic Spaghetti Sauce Canning Recipe

This recipe makes about 9 pints or 4.5 quarts

30 pounds tomatoes (regular or heirloom are best)

1 cup chopped onion

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup chopped green pepper, or celery

1 pound fresh sliced mushrooms

4.5 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons oregano

4 tablespoons minced parsley

2 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup olive oil

Wash tomatoes and dip in boiling water for up to a minute, until skins split. Dip in cold water and slip off skins.

Remove cores, and cut tomatoes into quarters. Boil tomatoes 20 minutes in a large uncovered saucepan. Process tomato mixture through a food mill or sieve to remove seeds.

Saute onions, garlic, celery or pepper, and mushrooms in olive oil until tender. Combine sauteed vegetables and tomatoes and add remaining spices, salt and suagr. bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, until thick enough for serving over pasta. Stir frequently during this time to prevent burning.

Fill jars, leaving a one-inch head-space on each. clean rims, put on lids and process in a weighted -gauge pressure canner as follows:

At 0- 1,000 feet elevation, process pints for 20 minutes or quarts for 25 minutes at 10 lb pressure. Above 1,000 feet, increase pressure to 15 pounds (time remains the same).

Picante Tomato-Chile Salsa Recipe

Ingredients:

5 pounds tomatoes

2 pounds chili peppers

1 pound onions

1 cup vinegar

3 tsp salt

1/2 tsp salt

Makes 6 to 8 pint jars

Directions:

Peel and prepare chili peppers, wearing rubber gloves to protect your skin. Remember not to touch your eyes or face while working with hot chilies.

Wash tomatoes and dip in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds, until skins split. Dip tomatoes in cold water and peel off skins by hand. remove tomato cores and coarsely chop. Combine chopped tomatoes with chopped chili peppers, onions and remaining ingredients

in a large pot. Heat to boiling, and simmer 10 minutes.

Fill pint jars, leaving a 1/2 inch head space. carefully clean jar rims and sides and secure lids to the jars.

Process the jarred salsa in boiling water (hot pack canning) for ten minutes (if you live at less than 1,000 feet elevation) or 20 minutes (1k to 6,000 feet elevation).

Note: Do not use low-acid tomatoes for this recipe. Hybrid tomato varieties that are low in acid are not appropriate for water-bath canning methods and must be pressure-canned.

The above recipe is from the Complete Guide to Home Canning and Preserving.

Once you have acquired the necessary canning supplies, especially good canning jars, you will be able to can on a whim at any time. It’s fun to pick bushels of apples, many quarts of berries or several pecks of peaches knowing that you can preserve the bulk for future months with just a few hours’ spent in the kitchen.

There are two methods of home canning, used for specific food items.

Waterbath canning, or the boiling water method, is safe only for fruits and acidic pickled vegetables.

The waterbath method is not safe for low-acid food such as meats, vegetables, milk, or low-acid tomatoes. The reason for this is that botulism spores can survive boiling, in which the temperature reaches about 212 degrees F. However, botulism can not grow or survive in acidic conditions; thus fruits may be safely preserved through waterbath home canning.

Pressure canning is the only safe method for canning low-acid items, including all vegetables, meat, milk and  low-acid tomatoes. Pressure canners bring the temperature to the 240 degrees Fahrenheit necessary to prevent future botulism growth within the jars of food. Since botulism is  a deadly microorganism, care must be taken to follow all home canning guidelines precisely.

The basic steps to home canning are as follows:

1. Process food to be canned. For example, peel and slice peaches, mash berries for preserves, make applesauce or prepare pickled vegetables.
2. Sterilize jars, lids and bands in boiling water. Leave lids and bands in the hot water until use.
3. Fill jars with processed food, leaving headspace as directed.
4. Put lids on the canning jars, and fasten bands tightly over the lids.
5. Place jars in boiling waterbath (acidic foods) or pressure canner (low acid items) and process for designated amount of time, following canning recipes or guidelines precisely.

Home Canning Tips:

• To ensure the best home canning experience, start with a clean and ordered workspace. In most cases, you’ll be working in your own kitchen. Ensure that the sinks and surfaces are clean before you begin.
• Have dry kitchen cloths and paper towels readily available to clean spills and wipe jar rims as you work.
• Eliminate distractions and keep children and pets out of the kitchen while canning is in progress. The amount of boiling water, food and equipment can be hazardous to young, curious children and their presence can be distracting to the one working.

While you can often find good canning jars year round at places like BigLots and second hand from yard sales and flea markets, they are often available in big box/ department stores seasonally, usually April through September. So stock up when you see them, as the jars may be gone when you go back to get some for the fall apple crop.

Over the years, I have used the following brand of jars:

Ball canning jars: The most trusted name in canning for many homemakers, Ball provides a great variety of jelly jars, pint jars, quart jars and half-gallon glass jars. There are wide mouth and regular versions, special band and lid designs and labels to dress up your canned goods.

Kerr canning jars are likewise versatile and plentiful on seasonal store shelves.

Note:  Jarden Home Brands manufacturers both Ball Mason and Kerr canning jars. So while the name differs, the source does not. The name brand jars are used by the vast majority of home canners but are not intended for commercial use.

Golden Harvest is a lesser-known brand that supplies jars more cheaply than the two name brands mentioned above. They are about $6.50/ dozen at Big Lots and hold up very well. Some canners prefer these because they have a flat side, without raised designs, good for labeling with decorative or informative labels.

• Tip: Always check your canning jars, before use, for any chips or cracks in the jar, especially on the rim. Chips in the rim will prevent a good seal and cracked jars must also be discarded.

Canning jars NOT to use:

Never re-use commercial jars, such as the ones holding store-bought jam or spaghetti sauce, for preserving food at home. Never use damaged jars; as noted above, jars with cracks or chips should discarded or given a second life as storage containers for non food items, such as coins or school supplies.

Wholesale canning jars are available online at some savings over store prices. However, with the cost of shipping added, you’ll need to buy a large quantity to see any real savings.

Be sure to thoroughly wash and sterilize jars, lids and bands before using them to preserve food. Proper handling is essential for food safety.

My jars have been from a  variety of sources, including new from the store and (much more cheaply) used from yard sales. Lids can only be used once for canning, so those have come primarily from the store, but bands can be used again and again and thus don’t need to be replaced every year.

Must-Have Canning Supplies

Stock pot for water bath canning: the canner with rack pictured above is a good example of a simple pot for waterbath canning. They usually cost around $20; a large, wide stock pot can also suffice as long as you have a rack to keep the jars from resting against the bottom of the pot.

A pressure canner is essential for canning non-acid items such as meat broth, low-acid tomatoes and green beans, which can not be preserved safely using just a waterbath.  A good pressure canner will cost about $90 - $500 depending on capacity. I bought mine for about $250; if you find one second hand you can save some money.

Glass canning jars, also called mason jars, are the only containers in which to preserve home canned foods. Never use commercial pasta sauce jars or other non-canning jars for your home canning. Check your canning jars before use to make sure they are free of cracks and there are no chips on the rims of the jars; chips may prevent proper seals.

Lids and bands are essential for processing your canned foods. As mentioned earlier, lids may only be used for canning once, but bands can be used many times until rusty or damaged.

A canning funnel is used to fill wide-mouth and regular canning jars with the food and is a huge time saver as well as mess-minimizer.

The jar lifter tool allows you to quickly and safely removed your jars from the water bath or pressure canner once they are done.

A lid lifter is are a plastic wand with a magnet on the end, a tool to help you retrieve jar lids and bands from their boiling water sanitizing bath to be placed on the jars as you fill them.

Canning is a simple process, and those are the basic tools of the trade. For food processing to prepare your fruit, vegetables and other items for canning, you can delve into food processors, blenders, and juicers, but the actual canning process requires just the basics.

Buying canning supplies online is a convenient way to assemble your tools and equipment. I recommend browsing the Amazon Canning Store for a wide selection of canning cookbooks, canning jars, canners and tools.

Canning Green Tomato Pickles

The mouth-watering pictures for this Green Tomato Pickles recipe make it a tempting idea.

You’ll need:

• 2-3 pounds fresh green tomatoes
• kosher salt
• pickling spices
• water
• vinegar
• 5-6 pint canning jars

The author made hers by this simple process:

1. Slice washed green tomatoes into 1/4″ sections, placing them in a non-reactive pot (stainless steel is good).

2. Layer tomato slices with kosher slat and pickling spice mix.

3. Pour 2 cups water and three cups vinegar over tomatoes to cover.

4. Bring to simmer and cook until tender, about 15 minutes.

5. Fill pint-size prepared canning jars with green tomato mixture.

6. Wipe jar rims and fasten sterilized lids on with bands.

7. Lower jars into boiling water bath; water must cover tops of jars by at least an inch.

8. Process jars in canner with boiling water for 15 minutes.

9. Remove jars, allow to cool, and check for proper seals before storing.

If you want a change of pace from the sour variety, try this recipe from Texas A&M University:

Green Tomatoes Sweet Pickles

You’ll need:

• 1 gallon green tomatoes (16 cups sliced)
• 1/4 cup salt
• 1/2 tablespoon powdered alum
• 3 cups vinegar (5% acidity)
• 1 cup water
• 4 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon mixed spices
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon celery seed
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1 tablespoon mustard seed

Slice tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and allow to stand overnight.

The following morning, drain and pour 2 quarts of boiling water with 1/2 tablespoon of powdered alum over the tomatoes and let stand 20 minutes.

Drain and cover with cold water, drain again.

Combine vinegar, water, sugar and spices (tie spices loosely in bag) and bring to a boil. Pour this over the tomatoes. Let stand in this solution overnight. Then drain and bring solution to boil and pour over tomatoes. Let stand overnight.

On the third morning bring the pickles and solution to a boil. Pack into sterilized jars to within 1/2 inch of top. Put on cap, screw band firmly tight. Process in boiling water bath 10 minutes. Yield: 8 pints.