"September In A Bottle" Tomato Sauce (after Cristie's recipe)

The red, pink and purple tomatoes got made up into tomato sauce.  There would have been something freaky about green and orange tomato sauce (even more so than the soup in those colors) so I stuck to red.
I had been saving my plum tomatoes for sauce.  I love the San Marzano variety.   They are the big ones on the left in the photo below.

They're not only bigger, but meatier, and I love their flavor.  The ones on the right are the regular Roma's I grew.  I supplemented with my round heirlooms to have enough tomatoes.  This sauce is Cristie's recipe (The Table Runner) and I wanted to try it once I saw her post.  She's a terrific cook and my good friend.. 

I followed her directions exactly.  The red group of tomatoes that were left on my counter after I made soup was exactly 12 lbs.  The only thing I didn't like (and it wasn't Cristie's fault) was the amount of bottled lemon juice it called for.  Experts recommend bottled juice instead of fresh lemon juice because there is more acid control with bottled juice.  I know this is calculated for food safety and I certainly don't want to contribute to anyone getting botulism, but the odd bottled taste was a little strong for me.  I did however really like this sauce and maybe the too-strong flavor was because I used 12 lbs. of tomatoes instead of 15 lbs.  I probably could have put in a little less bottled juice but why flirt with botulism?

I blend my sauce in a blender and strain out the seeds, because they're bitter.  It's easier than trying to remove them before cooking.  I also added a sprig of fresh basil into the jars before sealing and water bathing them.

The bottles are a beautiful color and I love the hint of basil flavor.  It makes me happy to know that the fruits

of our garden and our labor are safely tucked in my pantry for use on a cold winter day...just a little touch of September in a bottle.