brettprevans
HB so good, it will raise the dead
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That's what makes them collectable.
Making Passata/Tomato sauce
- Thread starter komodo
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stux
Hacienda Brewhaus
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If you pasteurize AFTER canning it shouldn't be a problem, but if you don't pasteurize after filling the jars then you're going to get the odd fermenting batch.
Although 121C in a pressure cooker is good and kills botulism, just like with no chill you can get a lot of the effect by using a lower temperature for a lot longer
I put all my full jars in a large brew pot, cover with water, bring to the boil for a bit, and then let cool slowly overnight.
Pretty much no chill protocol, but the 100L pot takes a lot longer to cool than a single jar
Although 121C in a pressure cooker is good and kills botulism, just like with no chill you can get a lot of the effect by using a lower temperature for a lot longer
I put all my full jars in a large brew pot, cover with water, bring to the boil for a bit, and then let cool slowly overnight.
Pretty much no chill protocol, but the 100L pot takes a lot longer to cool than a single jar
I'm investing in an All American Pressure Canner very soon.
My wife has really taken to preserving - everything...
Her theory is that we make up meals and freeze them for use throught he week or later on in the year. How handy would it be not to have to freeze things and to be able to grab a bottle of ready to go bolognese sause or a chicken curry or what ever. Especially as kids come along.
Not sure if I shoujld go the big 941 or go two of the smaller units.
My wife has really taken to preserving - everything...
Her theory is that we make up meals and freeze them for use throught he week or later on in the year. How handy would it be not to have to freeze things and to be able to grab a bottle of ready to go bolognese sause or a chicken curry or what ever. Especially as kids come along.
Not sure if I shoujld go the big 941 or go two of the smaller units.
drsmurto
Well-Known Member
@Komodo - lots of fowlers preserving systems on sale on ebay/gumtree etc. http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=fowlers%20preserving&rt=nc&_fspt=1&_sadis=200&_fpos=3000&LH_Distance=3000..200]ebay search for Victoria[/url]
I picked up a second preserving urn recently on ebay for $47. It is ~30L, 1800W element, thermostat. Was great to have two running side by side preserving nectarines and peaches this year (did 27 bottles). Will be using it again soon for passata (tomatoes are in full production at the moment) and zucchini salad/pickles. Never thought of using it for meals but now you have me thinking. Loads of pumpkins on the plants so could make a massive pot of pumpkin soup and preserve it. I always freeze excess bolognaise, again, never thought of preserving it. Cheers for the idea!
I picked up a second preserving urn recently on ebay for $47. It is ~30L, 1800W element, thermostat. Was great to have two running side by side preserving nectarines and peaches this year (did 27 bottles). Will be using it again soon for passata (tomatoes are in full production at the moment) and zucchini salad/pickles. Never thought of using it for meals but now you have me thinking. Loads of pumpkins on the plants so could make a massive pot of pumpkin soup and preserve it. I always freeze excess bolognaise, again, never thought of preserving it. Cheers for the idea!
I've been watching a few of those fowlers units - already stole mum and dads thats older than I am. Also been looking at biltong dehydrators.
I believe you have to pressure preserve because of the low acidity. Perhaps the longer at lower would work but not something I personally (at this stage) am going to play with. I need to get my hands on the Ball blue book of preserving http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Blue-Book-Guide-Preserving/dp/0972753702
In all honesty you would know far more about this stuff than I would.
We actually got the idea watching all the crazies on "dooms day preppers" on discovery channel
At first we thought they were all crazy (and yes they are) but when we started to think about the convenience of having home made "ready meals" we started to think "actually these guys are onto something" its just they use the skill in very wierd way storing months/years worth of food stuffs in case the world ends (seriously if the world ends I dont want to be here, let alone living with that fear all the time like those guys live with).
But the idea of preserving goods in season for use throughout the year is a pretty sound idea. We make jams, chutneys and pasata already. I even bottle "juiced" strawberries when I can buy them for under $7 per tray (5kg) for making apple and strawberry cider. So for us it seems a logical next step. I guess theres a little "hippie" in us that the idea of preserving/storing and knowing whats in our food also drives the romance of the idea.
I dont know that I'd like to be preserving stuff for use in 2-3+ years time like these guys are doing with chicken and corned beef. But certainly curries, casseroles, bolognese sauce , soups etc for ~6-9 months means you can knock out a big batch of this stuff that actually easier to make in bulk (especially if your a brewwer and have a collection of large pots
) and have it ready to go at a moment notice in "meal sizes" for months to come.
I believe you have to pressure preserve because of the low acidity. Perhaps the longer at lower would work but not something I personally (at this stage) am going to play with. I need to get my hands on the Ball blue book of preserving http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Blue-Book-Guide-Preserving/dp/0972753702
In all honesty you would know far more about this stuff than I would.
We actually got the idea watching all the crazies on "dooms day preppers" on discovery channel
At first we thought they were all crazy (and yes they are) but when we started to think about the convenience of having home made "ready meals" we started to think "actually these guys are onto something" its just they use the skill in very wierd way storing months/years worth of food stuffs in case the world ends (seriously if the world ends I dont want to be here, let alone living with that fear all the time like those guys live with).
But the idea of preserving goods in season for use throughout the year is a pretty sound idea. We make jams, chutneys and pasata already. I even bottle "juiced" strawberries when I can buy them for under $7 per tray (5kg) for making apple and strawberry cider. So for us it seems a logical next step. I guess theres a little "hippie" in us that the idea of preserving/storing and knowing whats in our food also drives the romance of the idea.
I dont know that I'd like to be preserving stuff for use in 2-3+ years time like these guys are doing with chicken and corned beef. But certainly curries, casseroles, bolognese sauce , soups etc for ~6-9 months means you can knock out a big batch of this stuff that actually easier to make in bulk (especially if your a brewwer and have a collection of large pots
) and have it ready to go at a moment notice in "meal sizes" for months to come.
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punkin
Rarely Serious
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It's big in the states mainstream. They call it canning.
I can suggest to you that the big Presto cooker will save you a fortune over the all american and amazon has some (or did have when i bought mine) killer shipping prices on the presto.
You can always do what i did and build your own 50l one...
I can suggest to you that the big Presto cooker will save you a fortune over the all american and amazon has some (or did have when i bought mine) killer shipping prices on the presto.
You can always do what i did and build your own 50l one...
drsmurto
Well-Known Member
The recommendation in the Fowlers Preserving book is to open the jars, pour into a saucepan and boil foods like curries, bolognaise, soup etc for 10 mins before serving. Which is no real issue. This was added in the later versions of the book after advice from the Department of Health (Victoria I think?) to deal with potential issues of Botulism in foods that had a pH higher than 4 (and that you didn't add acid to, usually in the form of lemon juice and/or citric acid).
I've only been preserving for 5 years or so but I grew up with a pantry full of preserves. My olds were over on the weekend and Mum saw the cupboards full of preserves and it got her talking about how she used to do 400+ jars of fruit, veg and pickles every year when I was a kid. She is very happy to see me continuing the tradition using her preserving kit.
And yes, the preserving kit I have is older than me, the thermostat is in Fahrenheit. Unit converter app FTW.
Cupboard needed reinforcing with bricks to deal with the weight of the preserves. Tomato sauce, plum sauce, passata, fig paste, jams (fig, apricot, strawberry, plum), zucchini sweet mustard pickles, zucchini salad, pickled jalapenos. Once the bug bites..... it's a bit like buying your first kit beer.
Nectarines and peaches
I've only been preserving for 5 years or so but I grew up with a pantry full of preserves. My olds were over on the weekend and Mum saw the cupboards full of preserves and it got her talking about how she used to do 400+ jars of fruit, veg and pickles every year when I was a kid. She is very happy to see me continuing the tradition using her preserving kit.
And yes, the preserving kit I have is older than me, the thermostat is in Fahrenheit. Unit converter app FTW.
Cupboard needed reinforcing with bricks to deal with the weight of the preserves. Tomato sauce, plum sauce, passata, fig paste, jams (fig, apricot, strawberry, plum), zucchini sweet mustard pickles, zucchini salad, pickled jalapenos. Once the bug bites..... it's a bit like buying your first kit beer.
Nectarines and peaches
Hi All,
Thanks for the great thread, a year later i resurface it!
Just bought a Reber .3hp tomato machine with the view of doing a test batch this weekend at my folks. Just wanted to confirm a couple things.
I plan on putting the sauce into 330ml bottles and then capping them. 330ml because it is a good size for a family of two (there are three couples doing the saucing). Is someone able to confirm that i have everything in the right order?
Modified from MiniMash - i have modded it from step 4 onwards (with a few comments/questions)
Couple of questions:
-This is a first for me, but i trust the boiling is what kills any nasties.
-The bottles wont explode or pop the tops or suck in water?
-Where do i find San Marzano in Melbourne? Or is Roma good enough.
-100kg equates to 75KG of sauce is what i read.
Other than that, i think i have the following shopping list:
44gal Drum (dad has one of those on farm).
4-Ring gas burner
Bottles + bottle lids
Bottle capper
A container to collect the sauce and distribute into the bottles.
Thanks for the great thread, a year later i resurface it!
Just bought a Reber .3hp tomato machine with the view of doing a test batch this weekend at my folks. Just wanted to confirm a couple things.
I plan on putting the sauce into 330ml bottles and then capping them. 330ml because it is a good size for a family of two (there are three couples doing the saucing). Is someone able to confirm that i have everything in the right order?
Modified from MiniMash - i have modded it from step 4 onwards (with a few comments/questions)
- blanch tomatoes for 30-60 seconds to soften
- Put tomatoes straight into the moulis and get the helpers cranking. We found this a lot easier if the hot tomatoes were roughly cut in halves/quarters as they went in.
- Juice into one tub, pulp into another
- Helpers take juice, add a pinch of salt per bottle and a basil leaf.
- Helpers cap bottles, leaving x centimeters of space at the top of the bottle neck.
- Put the bottles in the 44gallon drum, fill with cold water. Bring to boil and maintain for 1 hours. Leave the water to cool down. (can i drain the water, of do i leave them to cool down?)
Couple of questions:
-This is a first for me, but i trust the boiling is what kills any nasties.
-The bottles wont explode or pop the tops or suck in water?
-Where do i find San Marzano in Melbourne? Or is Roma good enough.
-100kg equates to 75KG of sauce is what i read.
Other than that, i think i have the following shopping list:
44gal Drum (dad has one of those on farm).
4-Ring gas burner
Bottles + bottle lids
Bottle capper
A container to collect the sauce and distribute into the bottles.
For what it's worth to those of you who don't grow your own tomatoes, I've come out with a pretty rip-roaring passata/pizza sauce/all purpose Italian tomato sauce:
1 tin diced tomatoes (or equivalent in fresh, but better results from tinned as they are in all those juices)
30ml olive oil
2 sprigs rosemary
2 cloves chopped garlic
glug of red wine (not a lot)
Heat olive oil, throw in garlic and rosemary for a couple minutes, just enough to start just colouring the edges of garlic.
Throw everything else in. Turn heat down, simmer for an hour uncovered. Pull the sprigs out, rip off the leaves and keep them in the sauce. Bin the sprigs.
Blend.
Done.
1 tin diced tomatoes (or equivalent in fresh, but better results from tinned as they are in all those juices)
30ml olive oil
2 sprigs rosemary
2 cloves chopped garlic
glug of red wine (not a lot)
Heat olive oil, throw in garlic and rosemary for a couple minutes, just enough to start just colouring the edges of garlic.
Throw everything else in. Turn heat down, simmer for an hour uncovered. Pull the sprigs out, rip off the leaves and keep them in the sauce. Bin the sprigs.
Blend.
Done.
robzilla we're just about to do ours in 2 weeks time.
Boiling is what kills nasties - canning is the term. Heaps of info on it especially from US sites.
330ml bottles seems small to me - we do 720ml passata bottles and we go through 2 a weeks (2 adults). This years we're looking at mixing in some 1L juice bottles. Some times we don't use the whole bottle in one meal but 9/10 times its used the next day or the day after and I have no issues with having a bottle open stored in the fridge.
bottles wont explode - they may leak if over filled.
I've always done romas as they are far easier to get a hold of. You can do any tomatoes though.
You can drain the water but if you can leave them in there to cool then that better.
Where are people getting their tomatoes this year? I'm looking for about 1/2 tonne and I want to pay a maximum $1 per kg
We pour straight from my 70L BB kettle through the ball valve through silicone hose straight into bottles - BUT my bottles have wide mouths. HomeMakeIt has bottling buckets with a plunger attachment suitable for filling stubbies/longnecks. Sure other suppliers also have similar.
Boiling is what kills nasties - canning is the term. Heaps of info on it especially from US sites.
330ml bottles seems small to me - we do 720ml passata bottles and we go through 2 a weeks (2 adults). This years we're looking at mixing in some 1L juice bottles. Some times we don't use the whole bottle in one meal but 9/10 times its used the next day or the day after and I have no issues with having a bottle open stored in the fridge.
bottles wont explode - they may leak if over filled.
I've always done romas as they are far easier to get a hold of. You can do any tomatoes though.
You can drain the water but if you can leave them in there to cool then that better.
Where are people getting their tomatoes this year? I'm looking for about 1/2 tonne and I want to pay a maximum $1 per kg
We pour straight from my 70L BB kettle through the ball valve through silicone hose straight into bottles - BUT my bottles have wide mouths. HomeMakeIt has bottling buckets with a plunger attachment suitable for filling stubbies/longnecks. Sure other suppliers also have similar.
FYI, Drove past Marino Brothers (Fruit & Vegi wholesalers) on Dynon Rd West Melbourne this morning, they will have 16kg boxes for ~$20 from Monday (17 Feb) onwards,. Not sure what type of tomato or whether hydroponic or field grown, might need to call to confirm details if interested. Looking at their photos on the website, looks as if field grow, so not sure how they have faired after the heat in the last 2 weeks.
Contact Details:
Marino Bros
Unit 11 / 88 Dynon Rd
West Melbourne
03 9372 6111
0414 409 833
web http://www.marinobros.com.au/index.html
Contact Details:
Marino Bros
Unit 11 / 88 Dynon Rd
West Melbourne
03 9372 6111
0414 409 833
web http://www.marinobros.com.au/index.html
TimT
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We've* been using our Fowler's Vacola to preserve tomatoes, whole, all today. Our aim was to have a bottle for every week of the year, haven't quite made that yet - but we've definitely got enough to keep us going for a while.
*Well it was mostly the Baron's work. I made gingerbread with some malt crystals though!
*Well it was mostly the Baron's work. I made gingerbread with some malt crystals though!
We ended up with 200kgs - our supplier for the 300kgs failed to come through with the goods. Still paid $1kg
Made 183 bottles this year - took just shy of 10 hours.
Realistically I would have like to reduce the sauce a bit more than we did but can do that when we cook with it.
Still got approx. 12L of sauce at home being slowly reduced to make a nice thick paste to be put into jars.
Made 183 bottles this year - took just shy of 10 hours.
Realistically I would have like to reduce the sauce a bit more than we did but can do that when we cook with it.
Still got approx. 12L of sauce at home being slowly reduced to make a nice thick paste to be put into jars.
Hi All,
Sorry for the late reply.
We did 80KG at my parents place, then 120kg at a friends the following weekend. We ended up putting them into 660ml brown bottles using Home Make It bottle filler (which was ace).
All went well, although we did have problems with the reber clogging up. The skins would line the inside of the strainer bit and every box i had to unattach it and scrape it out... This then meant that i only put the skins back through once...
Any tips to stop that happening? Perhaps we werent blanching them for long enough?
Sorry for the late reply.
We did 80KG at my parents place, then 120kg at a friends the following weekend. We ended up putting them into 660ml brown bottles using Home Make It bottle filler (which was ace).
All went well, although we did have problems with the reber clogging up. The skins would line the inside of the strainer bit and every box i had to unattach it and scrape it out... This then meant that i only put the skins back through once...
Any tips to stop that happening? Perhaps we werent blanching them for long enough?
pat_00
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Looking to do this in the next couple of weeks.
Is there a decent hand powered one? Anyone tried this style:
http://www.homemakeit.com.au/collections/tomato-sauce-making/products/tomato-machine-flb-sp2-manual-plastic-body
I've only heard people whinge about doing it by hand, but I will probably be doing around 50kg and bottlng in longnecks.
Is there a decent hand powered one? Anyone tried this style:
http://www.homemakeit.com.au/collections/tomato-sauce-making/products/tomato-machine-flb-sp2-manual-plastic-body
I've only heard people whinge about doing it by hand, but I will probably be doing around 50kg and bottlng in longnecks.
I use this reber manual machine http://foodquip.com.au/reber-hand-operated-tomato/view-all-products.htmlpat_00 said:
If you blanch the tomatoes to soften them it should be fine for 50Kg.
