Today is the first day of Autumn. Oh man, how in the world did that happen so fast? Wasn't I just planting my garden a couple of weeks ago? Or is it just that I haven't posted this year as much as I should have? Well, sorry about that; Life -- what can I tell you? It really gets in the way of your living it, doesn't it?

I thought, in honor of the Autumnal Equinox, that I would finally write down my recipe for homemade marinara sauce, like I've been promising to do all summer. ("And the better late than never Award goes to.....") Okay, I deserved that! Now, my recipe is based on the "Basic Multi-Use Tomato Sauce" one found on page 227 in "The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving" by Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard. Keep in mind, however, that I have taken considerable liberties with it, ones designed to our taste buds and our garden. Your results will vary, depending on which version of the recipe you use. So, having delivered that caveat, here's my version of their great work:


20 cups Roma or plum tomatoes, peeled and chopped
10 cups Better Boy tomatoes, peeled and chopped
10 cups Yellow tomatoes, peeled and chopped
5 cups Cherry tomatoes (dried tomatoes can be used instead), peeled
1 clove Garlic (up to 4 can be used; we just can't take much garlic)
1 tbsp dried onion bits (or 1 large onion chopped, if you really like onions)
1 Green Bell pepper, finely chopped
1 Red Bell pepper, finely chopped
2 medium sized carrots, chopped
2 large stalks of celery, finely chopped
2/3 cup dry Red wine
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp pickling salt
2 tsp each, dried oregano and basil (if using fresh herbs, then use 2 tbsp of each)
1 tsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp each, ground cinnamon and pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

* Combine tomatoes, garlic, celery carrots, onion, green pepper and red pepper in a very large
enamel, stainless steel or glass saucepan. Add i cup of water. Bring to a boil over high heat,
reduce heat and boil gently, covered, for 25 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken, stirring
occasionally.

* Add to sauce wine, vinegar, bay leaves, salt, oregano, basil, sugar, cinnamon and pepper.
continue to boil gently, stirring frequently, until desired consistency (the sauce will have reduced
itself about 1/3 to a 1/2, depending on how thick you want your sauce.) Discard the bay leaves
and stir in parsley.

* Remove hot jars from canner and ladle sauce into jars to within 1/2 inch of the rim. Process for
35 minutes for pint jars and 40 minutes for quart jars. Remove jars from water and wipe down.
Cool down thoroughly before storing in cool, dark place.

This not only makes a great stand-alone marinara sauce, it can be a pizza sauce, a tomato sauce, a base for tomato soup, and........well, you think of something! I can't be thinking up all this stuff by myself, now can I? (Get it? Can I? *snerk* Pretty funny, eh? eh?.......party pooper!)

Anyway, take this and run, my children!! But do me a favor, and drop me a line. I'd like to know who uses this recipe and how. I'm never opposed to learning something! Enjoy!!