Bathe canning jars to create air-tight seals and prevent spoilage.
Canning your own tomato sauce ensures it is free of added sugar, sodium and preservatives. Since tomatoes are considered acidic foods, you can can them in a boiling-water canner. This method kills bacteria, mold or yeast that would otherwise cause tomato sauce to spoil. When properly canned and bathed, home-canned tomato sauce stays fresh for an entire year or longer.
Processing Time
The amount of time tomato sauce needs bathe depends on the size of jars you use and the altitude of your location. Bathe pint-size jars processed at altitudes of sea level to 1,000 feet above sea level for 35 minutes. Bathe tomato sauce for 40 minutes for altitudes of 1,001 to 3,000 feet and 45 minutes for altitudes of 3,001 to 6,000 feet. Jars of tomato sauce require 50 minutes of bathing time for altitudes over 6,000 feet. Add an extra five minutes for quart-size jars.
Reprocessing
You can reprocess jars of tomato sauce that did not properly seal if you do so within 24 hours. Throw away any jars if they do not properly seal within this time, because the sauce is likely to have spoiled. If the lid makes a popping sound when you press it in the center, the jar has not been properly sealed. Although it is safe to reprocess tomato sauce, the texture may change and some nutrients may be lost due to the extra heat.
Warnings
Failing to bathe your jars of long enough will cause spoilage. Bacillus coagulans, a bacterium that commonly causes spoilage, is heat-resistant. If you don't leave the jars in boiling water long enough, the bacteria will survive and cause your tomato sauce to go bad. Although you can reuse jars and rings, always discard lids. The shape of the lid changes during processing and will not properly seal if you try to use it again.
Considerations
When you operate them properly, boiling-water canners are a safe way to can tomato sauce. However, pressure canners are likely to provide better results. Tomato sauce prepared using a pressure canner contains more nutrients, according to the Colorado State University Extension.
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