Tomato Paste

Behind every delicious recipe is a good base.  This tomato paste is loaded with flavor from the vine ripened tomatoes and the fresh picked peppers, onions, garlic and carrots! Knowing the freshness of the ingredients used in your canned goods is an added benefit of home canning.

If you are looking for larger quantities of tomatoes to make this recipe, check out your local Farmer’s Market, a local CSA or a local food co-op. You can also check with Azure (an on-line company) to see what they have available. Spread the word to family and friends.  Many times local gardeners have more tomatoes than they can use and are willing to share their abundant harvest.

This tomato paste recipe works great in our salsa recipes and our homemade ketchup recipe found in our book, Eating Pure in a Processed Foods World®.

Tomato Paste

48 large Roma tomatoes
3 red bell peppers, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
3 medium onions, chopped
2 carrots, chopped or thinly sliced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
5 tablespoons lemon juice, divided

Wash tomatoes.  Peel, core and quarter tomatoes. Place tomatoes, peppers, onions, carrots and garlic in a 5 quart pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.  Puree with an immersion blender.  Continue simmering, uncovered, 4 to 5 hours.  Stir often to prevent sticking.  Paste is done when a spoonful of puree stays in a mound on spoon.  Cook longer if it runs off the spoon.  Add 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice to each quart jar.  Ladle paste into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space.  Process pints 35 minutes, quarts 40 minutes in a boiling water canner.

 Makes 5 pints.