20lbs -- I guess I need to make Tomato Sauce?

[lupinfarm]

Just a thought, can I take the celery leaves out of that recipe? We never buy celery and I don't grow it so I'm not so keen on buying a bunch to cut the leaves off. Note, I looked in the grocery store for dried celery leaves, but there was nothing! Just celery salt.

And also, why non-iodized salt? That seems to be all I can buy at the store unfortunately.

 

[vfem]

I want you to know their are prepackage 'sauce' and 'salsa' mixes where you add what they tell you to a number of lb of tomatoes and then you can can and its safe!

I found several bags cheap at walmart, so if there is any doubt in your mind finding a recipe just get one of those prepackaged mixes. They were next to the cans in that isle.

I did this for the salsa I made today. I just added what it told me, cooked and canned... less worry that way!

I have to do my canning in the hot bath method as well.

 

[lupinfarm]

I'll take a look at the prepackaged stuff tomorrow. I have to go into town to buy cement, wood for the goat feeder, and horse feed anyway

 

[Liberty7]

Target (online) sells pressure canners:


Presto 16 qt. for $125.99

Presto 23 qt. for $136.99

 

[lupinfarm]

I can't order from Target as I don't have a credit card and I'm in Canada, and I *cannot* afford a pressure canner right now. I don't want to spend money I don't have. I've read you can also add a bit of lemon juice to the sauce just as a precaution as well.

 

[patandchickens]

Just a thought, can I take the celery leaves out of that recipe?

Sure, you can always *subtract* non-tomato things.

And also, why non-iodized salt? That seems to be all I can buy at the store unfortunately.

No, your grocery store should have kosher and probably also pickling salt -- both those are non iodized.

Calling for non iodized salt in a tomato sauce recipe is just meaningless habit, it would not make any difference there and table salt will work *fine* -- but for pickling recipes, you do want to use non iodized salt (pickling or kosher) because the iodine can make the pickles look a little funny. I'm sure it says non iodized just because it's someone's habit (a not unreasonable one) to always specify non iodized for canning.

(e.t.a. - best price I've found on modest sized pressure canners in Canada is $129 for a medium sized one, I *think* it is a Mirro but could be misremembering, at Canadian Tire. Which is still a lot of money to pay, and if you hunt hard enough one will turn up at a garage sale or something )

Have fun,

Pat

 

[curly_kate]

We got a wonderful old pressure canner from an estate sale. The book inside is copyrighted 1961. I think my DH paid about $10 for it. Took it down to the extension office, and they said it just needed a new gauge & gasket, which cost about $40. So for $50 we got a nice, steel 32 qt. pressure canner. Sometimes it pays to look for secondhand.

And I spend at least one weekend afternoon per week canning tomatoes. After about a month & a half of this, I'm kinda looking forward to the end of tomato season.

 

[lupinfarm]

Just a thought, can I take the celery leaves out of that recipe?

Sure, you can always *subtract* non-tomato things.

And also, why non-iodized salt? That seems to be all I can buy at the store unfortunately.

No, your grocery store should have kosher and probably also pickling salt -- both those are non iodized.

Calling for non iodized salt in a tomato sauce recipe is just meaningless habit, it would not make any difference there and table salt will work *fine* -- but for pickling recipes, you do want to use non iodized salt (pickling or kosher) because the iodine can make the pickles look a little funny. I'm sure it says non iodized just because it's someone's habit (a not unreasonable one) to always specify non iodized for canning.

(e.t.a. - best price I've found on modest sized pressure canners in Canada is $129 for a medium sized one, I *think* it is a Mirro but could be misremembering, at Canadian Tire. Which is still a lot of money to pay, and if you hunt hard enough one will turn up at a garage sale or something )

Have fun,

Pat

I saw that pressure canner too, way too spendy right now! Maybe for Christmas

 

[lupinfarm]

Well, I couldn't can using my large Litre jars cause my canner is too small LOL so I have to go and buy the size up to do it in those, instead I started with the smaller jars and got 3 jars canned until I realized that I had run out of tops for them.

At least they sealed properly, the sauce smells great, and is kind of spicey because I added more red pepper than the recipe calls for.

I also read that to bring up acidity (or at least to be safe about it) you can add a squirt of lemon juice to your spaghetti sauce, because unlike vinegar it wont change the taste.