Hot Sauce

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Recipe from pickyourown.org

I made this canned hot sauce as a gift for some of my family for Christmas.

I have to admit, I did not pick my own tomatos.  That's a difficult thing to do in Pennsylvania in November.  Nor did I buy fresh and dice myself.  I bought canned.  And, while fresh may have tasted a little bit better.. maybe - canned is so much easier. :)

For this recipe you'll need a food mill, or at least a makeshift food mill.  This made about 7-8 half pint jars.

Ingredients:
8 c (64 ou) diced tomatos, juices reserved
About 1 1/2 c peppers, seeded & chopped - I used serrano, but you can do habanero, jalepeno or hot chili peppers)
4 c distilled white vinegar
2 t canning salt
2 T whole mixed pickling spices
Cheesecloth (6"x6") or spice bag
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped, optional

Directions:
Sterilize your jars and lids.

Place pickling spices in a spice bag or cheese cloth and tie ends firmly.

Mix all ingredients together in a large Dutch oven or stockpot.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Simmer for about 20 minutes, until tomatos are soft.

Remove pickling spices from the sauce, then run the sauce through a food mill. Return the strained liquid to the stockpot, heat to boiling then boil another 15 minutes.

Ladle sauce into jars, leaving about 1/2" head space.  Place lids and bands on jars.

Process jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.  Let cool, undisturbed, for 12-24 hours.

Sauce improves with age.Wait at least 1 week prior to using.