Chilly days - Chili Sauce

While I was away Rick spent his early evenings in the garden, picking tomatoes and peppers before frost could harm them. There are boxes of green tomatoes in the basement that get checked for ripening progress daily.

Yesterday there were enough ripe tomatoes for me to cook up a batch of chili sauce, using the last of our garden onions and celery. What a great feeling to know that all of the veggies for this recipe were grown chemical free on our own land.

This is a fantastic sauce to have on hand for cooking chicken, pork, sloppy joes and more. I know you'll enjoy it.

FireFly's Chili Sauce

3 quarts peeled & coarsely chopped tomatoes (ice cream pail)
3 cups chopped celery
3 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped peppers (3/4 sweet & 1/4 hot)
¼ cup pickling salt
2 cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
1-1/2 tsp pepper
1 1-1/2 tsp pickling spice wrapped in cheesecloth
1 cup vinegar
½ - 1 tsp cayenne

Combine veggies – sprinkle with salt – cover – let stand over night
Drain but don’t press
Place in large pot – add remaining ingredients
Bring to boil & cook slowly for 1-1/2 hours – stir frequently
Ladle into jars and process in hot water bath for 15 minutes
Makes about 5-1/2 pints