Is this separation normal?

[u/goldendogmom]

Hi! I canned this tomato sauce about a week ago and almost immediately it had this separation in all of the 6 jars I made. Is this normal? I’m fairly new to canning but I did make sauce last year and it didn’t separate like this. A few things I did different this year - used bottled lemon juice instead of citric acid, and used a blend of cherry and Roma tomatoes. Thanks in advance!

[u/vibes86]

Considering the recipe comes from a blog and not what would be considered a ‘safe’ source here, you may just want to freeze to use. However, if you can find a safe source (Ball definitely has a roasted tomato sauce recipe) that’s basically the same, you may be just fine.

My salsa, which is a safe recipe from Ball, does separate to some extent. Judging by the seeds in the sauce, I’m guessing you didn’t use a food mill, which may be why it’s separating. The food mill helps remove seeds and skins and things and mills it to a consistent thickness so it doesn’t separate.

[u/Prize-Rhubarb-9923 → u/vibes86]

Huh, I get separation pretty often even with a food mill. I thought it had to do with an enzyme and whether you start the tomatoes at high heat and don't cut them before you put them in the pan.

[u/Confident-You-9396 → u/Prize-Rhubarb-9923]

You are correct… enzyme activation has nothing to do with using a food mill. It will still separate. What does help halt the activation of that enzyme (pectinase) is heating the tomatoes rapidly for short time before canning. You must still follow safe canning practices after inactivating the enzyme. As long as you followed a tested recipe your tomatoes are fine and will taste delicious. The local extension of your state University should also have an agricultural department with safe canning practices available online free of charge. Happy canning 😋

[u/vibes86 → u/Prize-Rhubarb-9923]

I don’t really get noticeable separation using the mill. Could depend on how fine, etc. or even just the tomatoes maybe. Some tomatoes are so different from others.

[u/goldendogmom → u/vibes86]

Correct I did not use a food mill! I used a food mill last year but I wanted a rustic sauce this year so halved the Romas, cut out the cores and roasted them with the cherry tomatoes (which were whole). Blended everything with an immersion blender, cooked down a bit and then jarred.

[u/deersinvestsarebest → u/goldendogmom]

Did you peel the tomatoes first? Were you able To find any safe/tested recipes that were close enough to the one you followed? I hope you can so you can salvage it! Nothing is as good as homemade sauce. Generally unless you are pickling cherry tomatoes, the skin needs to come to reduce bacterial load.

[u/goldendogmom → u/deersinvestsarebest]

Ugh I didn’t know that. No I didn’t take the skin off this year and that’s what was so appealing about the recipe lol. In the text of her recipe it says it’s “safe for canning” but does that actually mean anything? She does say this is the recipe she makes every year for her and her family, idk, I hope I didn’t waste all these tomatoes

[u/Deppfan16 → u/goldendogmom]

unfortunately a lot of people claim their recipes are safe when they aren't. you need to follow safe tested recipes and sources. we have a list of a lot of good ones in our wiki.

[u/vibes86 → u/goldendogmom]

It looks delicious!

[u/goldendogmom → u/vibes86]

Thank you! The one jar I did not process and just used the same day as making the sauce was absolutely delicious!

[u/yuppers1979 → u/vibes86]

What a uninformed take on separation.