Second batch of Tomato Sauce

I've been really busy, so I haven't been in the garden - except to look atthe autumn leaves, and the two new panels in the fence. And today it is raining - and the garden was already moist from the other day. It is lovely, and the weeds are revolting!

So today is the day for second batch of tomato sauce. My tomatoes are almost finished - it is all the Grosse Lisse and cherry tomatoes now, and the leaves, although not the stems, are all dead on the Grosse Lisse. But there are heaps of tomatoes on there, still ripening on those almost-dead stems.

So I have managed to get 2 kg off there, and have 2 kg of previously cooked-down ones out of the freezer, and am making a batch of sauce.

I see Calidore posted her recipe the other day, so I thought I would do mine. And I have never used the Ezy-sauce - I shudder at the thought, although I am sure others are fine with it. I just love the process.

This is a reasonably spicy sauce:

6 medium onions
10 cloves garlic (didn't have any - 2 teaspoons crushed garlic) I totally forgot it last batch.
4 kg tomatoes
half teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons peppercorns
1 heaped teaspoon whole allspice
1 level teaspoon cloves
2 heaped teaspoons chopped fresh ginger * see below.
1.5 cups sugar (using white, sometimes use brown)
5.5 cups vinegar (using white - shop out of brown)
2 teaspoons salt

Put chopped onions, tomatoes, garlic, cayenne and ginger in vat, bring to boil and simmer.

Put peppercorns, allspice and cloves into a "teaball" (stainless steel, with chain removed - but you can use muslin). I leave mine in right to the end, returning it after stage 2.

Simmer for about half an hour.

Remove, cool slightly and put through vitamizer (watch out for the tea-ball!)

Return to the boil. Simmer for several hours - I go much longer than most recipes to get it thick. I can sort of recognise the point - it goes sort of viscous, and when boiling is what you imagine lava pools are like. It is long after I have been stirring thickened stuff off the bottom.

My bottling point is when the boiling sauce sprays little droplets of sauce all over the stove and floor - very recognisable. So today, I went and bought a large spray deflector. It is magic!!!!

*Explaining my ginger is a long process - I might do it as another post.