Chili Sauce

I don't can many things but this chili sauce recipe is awesome! It is a bit tangy and sweet. It is good with chips, mixed into dips (over cream cheese), cooked with a roast, or even used on a sandwich. I love it!


12-14 lbs tomatoes, chopped
4 cups celery, chopped
2 1/2 cups onion, diced
2 bell peppers, chopped (red or green)
3 sticks cinnamon
4 cups cider vinegar
2 tablespoons salt
4 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves

Combine tomatoes, celery, onion, and bell pepper; simmer about 1 1/2 hours. Add remaining ingredients. Continue cooking 1 1/2 hours. Remove cinnamon sticks. Fill hot pint jars to within 1/2 inch of top; apply hot canning jar lids and rings. Process in a water bath canner about 30 minutes.

Freezer Jam

If I am eating jam . . . I am eating freezer jam! I love strawberry. My husband loves raspberry. The recipe is almost the same, you just change the fruit!

Freezer jam is so super easy! Make it with a friend so you can share the spoils. It will last about one year frozen. This is the same recipe that is found in the box of pectin.


2 cups crushed strawberries (use perfectly ripe fruit)
4 cups sugar
3/4 cup water
1 box of powdered fruit pectin (like Sure-Jell)

(for raspberry jam use 3 cups fruit and 5 1/4 cups sugar. If desired, sieve fruit to remove most of the seeds.)

Prepare fruit. Add sugar and mix thoroughly. Let stand 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix water and pectin in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil on high heat stirring constantly. Continue boiling and stirring for one minute. Add to fruit mixture, stir until sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Pour jam into containers leaving 1/2 inch clearance. Allow to sit at room temperature for 24 hours (if you can resist). Then refrigerate or freeze. Jam will keep frozen for one year.

Makes about 5 cups.