(After lurking and learning, I'd appreiate some feedback from those
who've done it ....)

Not as in fresh tomatoes (the season is a bit past here in PA) but as in:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Spanish onion, chopped in 1/4 inch dice
4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, or 1 tablespoon dried
1/2 medium carrot, finely shredded
2 (28-ounce) cans peeled whole tomatoes, crushed by hand and juices reserved
Salt

Sweat down onion and garlic, add thyme and carrot, cook until carrot is
soft. Add tomatoes, crushing by hand. Bring to boil then simmer to
desired consistency.

Yields 2 - 3 pints.

I'd like to produce a larger batch (or multiple small ones) when:
(a) BigBox has San Marzanos on sale, or,
(b) Fresh Romas are in season
and then can a load of pints (my pressure canner holds 7).

Should I be using Ball Blue Book as a guide, or NCFHP, testing pH and
add lemon juce to achive 4.0, then BW process?

Tim Mueller wrote:

> Should I be using Ball Blue Book as a guide, or NCFHP, testing pH and
> add lemon juce to achive 4.0, then BW process?

<4.6, not 4.0 and yeah, either lemon juice or citric acid (sour salt).

B/

Brian Mailman wrote:

> Tim Mueller wrote:
> > Should I be using Ball Blue Book as a guide, or NCFHP, testing pH and
> > add lemon juce to achive 4.0, then BW process?
>
> <4.6, not 4.0 and yeah, either lemon juice or citric acid (sour salt).
> B/

Did you know that lime juice is sourer than lemon? Found out in my
researches on making lime marmalade. Actually have to add baking soda to
lime marmalade so it will jell. Dunno how lime juice would affect the
taste of the tomato sauce tho. We use a lot of lime & tomato mixtures out
here in the wild and wooly west.
Edrena

The Joneses wrote:

> ... We use a lot of lime & tomato mixtures out here in the wild and
> wooly west.

"Ho, ho ho ho ho, ho... Blood-y Mar-y is the girl we love...."

B/

The Joneses wrote:
>Dunno how lime juice would affect the
> taste of the tomato sauce tho.

That's my concern with tomato sauce. If I have to reduce the pH to
boiling water bath can, I'd rather just go ahead and pressure can and
use my own recipe.

My pressure canner holds 7 quarts and I'm unlikely to be making batches
larger than that at once given the amount of stuff needed to get 7
thickened quarts of sauce. So it's really not much more time-consuming
to pressure can anyways.

If I had gallons upon gallons of tomatoes to put up, and did decide to
boiling bath can, I think I'd use citric acid or ascorbate as I don't
think they'd change the flavor much, just add some tartness.

hanks to all for the comments.

One think I love about food (aside from eating it ;-) ) is the continuos
learning.