This sauce cooks about a half hour, which is a great time savings over the traditional 2 to 3 hours. Small-batch canning is convenient when you are preserving the daily harvest from a small garden.
4 cups chopped, skinned ripe tomatoes (about 2 pounds)
½ cup finely chopped onion
½ cup finely chopped green bell pepper
¼ cup cider vinegar
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
Combine tomatoes, onion, and green pepper. Cook, stirring constantly over medium heat until liquid forms—about 5 minutes.
Stir in vinegar, brown sugar, salt, cloves, and allspice. Cook, 20 to 25 minutes or until thick and reduced to 1 pint. Spoon into a sterilized jar, cover with a sterilized lid, and refrigerate for use within a week.
To preserve for a longer period, sterilize 1 pint or 2 half-pint jars and prepare equipment for processing (see here).
Transfer sauce to a sterilized jar or jars leaving Winch headroom; seal and process 15 minutes in boiling water bath canner (see here). Cool to room temperature. Check seal, label, and store. Use within 1 year.
1 Pint
“There is a military, scientific precision about preserving foods. The rules are simple and clear cut, but there must be no ‘cutting of corners.’ … Only ignorance and carelessness bring danger. Follow directions carefully, just as you would your knitting recipes, and all will be well.”—Home Canning for Victory: Pickling, Preserving, Dehydrating, 1942