Garden Vegetable Spaghetti Sauce

Garden Vegetable Spaghetti Sauce

Makes:  4-5 quarts or 13 pints

12 pounds or about 25 ripe tomatoes, peeled and diced

3 T brown sugar

4 t salt

1 t pepper

2 cups fresh basil

1 cup assorted herbs, fresh (some or all of the following:  parsley, oregano, marjoram, thyme)  I use 1/3 cup of assorted dry

6 cloves minced fresh garlic

1 t lemon juice

1-2 cups of zucchini fresh, chopped.  I just patty pan squash since we had an abundance of that.

1 cup of diced onion

1 cup of diced green pepper

Put all the ingredients into a large heavy pot cooking on medium high uncovered until it reaches a steady boil.  Continue to simmer on medium high at a steady low boil for about 2-3 hours until desired consistency (you want it to be somewhat thick), stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and let cool for about 10 minutes.  Process the sauce in a food processer or blender until desired consistency.  I like to make mine smooth.  Ladle hot sauce into sterilized canning jars leaving 1/2 inch head space.  Wipe jar rims; put on lids.  Process filled jars in a boiling - water bath canner for 35 minutes for pint jars and 45 minutes for quart size jars.  Start timing when water returns to boil.  Remove jars and cool.  Let set at room temperature for 24 hours.

A few tips:

:: I have been freezing it and skipping the canning process.  You can do this if you have the freezer space.  I am freezing it in ball jars.  Just leave a 1/2 inch of space at the top for expansion space.  When thawing, thaw slowly.  I sit it in the fridge, on the counter or in a bowl of cool water if I'm in more of a hurry.  I have never had a ball jar break on me.

:: When harvesting from our garden - I clean, chop and freeze everything.  So, when I want to make sauce - it's all chopped and ready to go!  I blanch tomatoes, peel, dice and freeze in 2 cup portions.  I chop and freeze our green peppers.  I chopped, scooped out the seeds and froze all of our patty pan squash.  I shredded our zucchini and froze.  I buy organic onions from the store or at a Farmer's Market.  

:: We have had a ton a basil, so I just run out to the garden and get some as I need it.

:: I also use this for pizza sauce.  It's fabulous!

Please let me know if you have any questions!  

This recipe comes from Farm to Fork the Margy Way.  I use this cook book all the time - every day, I think!  You can buy it here.  I highly recommend it!