Sweet, tangy, smoky, and built from 2,814 grams of garden-grown green tomatoes.
YIELD6–8 pints
SMOKE75–90 min
SIMMER60–75 min
TARGET pH≤ 4.2
THE STORY
The garden sauce that found its balance one adjustment at a time.
The first blend was tan, hotter than the family wanted, and not sweet enough. Tomato paste, 25 grams of brown sugar, and 75 grams of maple syrup brought the color, heat, and sweetness into balance. After three minutes in the Vitamix, the final texture was smooth and the family called it perfect.
This page preserves Brandon’s measured batch record. It is not a laboratory-tested canning formula; anyone preserving it should verify equilibrium pH with a calibrated meter and follow current USDA/NCHFP guidance.
Method
Prep.Wash tomatoes and leave whole. Quarter onion; core and cut bell pepper; leave jalapeño whole; keep garlic in skins.
Smoke.Smoke produce in a single layer at 225°F for 75–90 minutes, until tomatoes wrinkle and vegetables soften and char lightly. Save all juices.
Combine.Cool and peel garlic. Add smoked produce and juices to a pot with vinegar, sugars, syrup, mustard, spices, Stripey pepper, and salt.
Simmer.Bring to a boil, reduce, and simmer uncovered 60–75 minutes until thick and glossy.
Blend.Blend in batches until completely smooth, then return to the pot.
Adjust.Add tomato paste, 25 g brown sugar, and 75 g maple syrup. Simmer 5–10 minutes.
Measure acidity.Check a cooled, well-blended sample with a calibrated pH meter. The recorded target was pH 4.2 or below, ideally 4.0 or below.
Store safely.For shelf-stable preservation, use a validated process from a trusted canning authority. Otherwise refrigerate or freeze the finished sauce.
Safety: This is a personal recipe-development record, not an independently tested canning recipe. pH alone does not establish a validated home-canning process. Follow current USDA or National Center for Home Food Preservation directions.
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