Making / Bottling sauces

kerri_gt

Hi All,

I was up at my local PYO today and they had some jars / bottles of various sauces (tomato and pepper / chili / bbq) the kind of thing you'd mix in pasta or use as a marinade more than a ketchup kind of sauce. They all had 2015 dates on them to use by / best before.

They looked lovely, which got me thinking to xmas gifts for relatives - and myself too.

How / what do I need to do to make such sauces that will last? I already make my own pasta / pizza sauce using garlic, basil and cooking down some passata. Is it as simple as this then sealing in stearlised jars like jam or is there more to it?

Was thinking something like tomato & red pepper and a tomato & chili or something perhaps?

hoglet121

Anything with a high quantity of sugar or vinegar will keep well as they are preservatives. Hence why jams and chutneys are easy ways to preserve fruit and veg. Ketchup also falls into this category, chilli sauce as in a sweet chilli sauce will also keep as it's full of sugar.

I haven't had much success with long term preserving without high levels of sugar or vinegar (or both). Far better to freeze those types of things long term I've found.

JIL

There's a blog mortgage free in three. I believe the writer often posts on here. On her blog she did a really good tutorial on bottling, I think it was home made salsa. There's loads of tips on there.http://mortgagefreeinthree.com/2012/05/spicy-salsa/