So for the tomatoes, we cleaned each tomato thoroughly and then sliced them. The sliced tomatoes were then poured into a large kettle pot and set to a low fire for approximately 90 minutes. As the tomatoes were gradually converted into a sauce, we proceeded to add a cup of lemon juice and some fresh basil leaves. One thing to note is that I had to keep stirring the sauce to prevent the bottom of the pot from burning the sauce. At the end of the boiling stage scores of fresh tomatoes have been converted into this bright red sauce with a rich, tangy scent.
The next step is to prepare the canning components: mason jar, canning lid, and funnel. Each mason jar and canning lid needs to be thoroughly washed and then sterilized. To sterilize the components, first we had a small pot of water boiling. Then the mason jar and canning lid is placed into the boiling water for approximately 10 minutes to kill all possible contaminants. Finally the funnel is placed into the boiling water for 2 minutes before being placed onto of the mason jar. After that, the steaming tomato sauce was poured into the mason jar, the canning lid applied tightly, and the entire mason jar is transported into a basket covered by many blankets. The purpose of the blankets is to allow the Mason Jar to cool slowly and therefore avoid cracking the glass.
Canning the pears was pretty much the same process, except for the fact that each pear had to be cored before being sliced. This was an arduous task since we literally had a bushel of pears. So we all got busy and sliced up all the pears after 2 hours. Then the pears were dumped into the large pot with 5 cups of water and 1 cup of lemon juice and cooked under low heat for 3 hours straight.
In the 3 hour cooking period I gradually added about 4 cups of honey to ensure a sweet flavor for the final product. The concoction had to be stirred every 10-15 minutes to prevent burning. As the cooking proceeded, the pear slices gradually transformed into a rich brown sauce that smelled heavenly. Finally the sauce was poured via a ladle into many mason jars. The finished mason jars were covered in blankets to cool for 3 days.
After the 3 day hiatus, we unwrapped our gleaming jars of goodness. In total, we canned 3 quarts of Tomato Sauce and 9 quarts of Pear Butter!!!! :)
So for the tomatoes, we cleaned each tomato thoroughly and then sliced them. The sliced tomatoes were then poured into a large kettle pot and set to a low fire for approximately 90 minutes. As the tomatoes were gradually converted into a sauce, we proceeded to add a cup of lemon juice and some fresh basil leaves. One thing to note is that I had to keep stirring the sauce to prevent the bottom of the pot from burning the sauce. At the end of the boiling stage scores of fresh tomatoes have been converted into this bright red sauce with a rich, tangy scent.
The next step is to prepare the canning components: mason jar, canning lid, and funnel. Each mason jar and canning lid needs to be thoroughly washed and then sterilized. To sterilize the components, first we had a small pot of water boiling. Then the mason jar and canning lid is placed into the boiling water for approximately 10 minutes to kill all possible contaminants. Finally the funnel is placed into the boiling water for 2 minutes before being placed onto of the mason jar. After that, the steaming tomato sauce was poured into the mason jar, the canning lid applied tightly, and the entire mason jar is transported into a basket covered by many blankets. The purpose of the blankets is to allow the Mason Jar to cool slowly and therefore avoid cracking the glass.
Canning the pears was pretty much the same process, except for the fact that each pear had to be cored before being sliced. This was an arduous task since we literally had a bushel of pears. So we all got busy and sliced up all the pears after 2 hours. Then the pears were dumped into the large pot with 5 cups of water and 1 cup of lemon juice and cooked under low heat for 3 hours straight.
In the 3 hour cooking period I gradually added about 4 cups of honey to ensure a sweet flavor for the final product. The concoction had to be stirred every 10-15 minutes to prevent burning. As the cooking proceeded, the pear slices gradually transformed into a rich brown sauce that smelled heavenly. Finally the sauce was poured via a ladle into many mason jars. The finished mason jars were covered in blankets to cool for 3 days.
After the 3 day hiatus, we unwrapped our gleaming jars of goodness. In total, we canned 3 quarts of Tomato Sauce and 9 quarts of Pear Butter!!!! :)
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