Ingredients:
10 lbs tomatoes (I use a mix of heirlooms and paste tomatoes)
bottled lemon juice
salt
Instructions:
Quarter the tomatoes, (I don’t skin them) then simmer them until they released their juices, about 20 minutes. Using a jelly bag strainer, separate the broth from the pulp. Blend the pulp in a blender to create a smooth texture. Heat jars in simmering water, along with your lids, in preparation for canning. 10 pounds of tomatoes will produce 4 pints of broth and 6 half pints of paste.
Bring tomato broth to a boil then simmer. In a separate pan, bring the paste to a low bubble, stirring often. For the broth, add one tablespoon of bottled lemon juice to each hot pint jar before filling with broth. For the paste, add 1.5 tsp lemon to each 1/2 pint jar before filling with paste. I do not add salt to either the broth or paste to avoid over salting my future dish.
Wiped the jar rims well, then topped them with hot rings and lids. I follow the USDA’s canning guide for processing tomato juice for the broth, at 35 minutes for pints, and processing tomato paste, at 45 minutes for 1/2 pints in a boiling water canner. Tomato paste takes longer because it’s so thick.