[suzy g]

So I am going to try bottling for the first time, I've frozen my sauces before and made jam before   what I intend to do is cook the sauce with onions garlic  etc   sterilise the jars add lemon juice   fill jars  put into a water bath for 40 mins   it that the way ? just checking if that's sounds ok   thanks

[mumofstig]

It will keep better if you add the onions when you use it, as adding them before bottling reduces the acid content.
My way is here https://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=82201.msg918774#msg918774

[suzy g]

aww thank for that quick response mumofstig but I have already put the toms and soften onions and garlic in the oven so maybe I better add a little more lemon juice to the jars I'm making a chunky sauce one which I normally freeze, a than just add it over veggies balls and pasta it was the actual bottling I was nervous of. but the next step seems to be what you say in your recipe  thank you very much

[jaydig]

Thanks to MoS for the information about not adding onions.  As I'd run out of freezer space last year I resorted to bottling one or two things, and pasta sauce was one of them.  I did the usual, sterilising the jars and adding the hot sauce, and then I put them into the pressure cooker three or four jars at a time, putting a folded tea towel in the bottom and wrapping all around the jars with a couple more old ones to stop them touching both the bottom and sides of the pressure cooker and each other. I can't remember exactly how long I had them under pressure, but I used the time recommended for bottling tomatoes.  It kept really well, but as I use such a lot of it, I didn't need to keep it for a lengthy period of time, so this time I'll follow MoS's advice about the onions, and leave them out.

[jambop]

aww thank for that quick response mumofstig but I have already put the toms and soften onions and garlic in the oven so maybe I better add a little more lemon juice to the jars I'm making a chunky sauce one which I normally freeze, a than just add it over veggies balls and pasta it was the actual bottling I was nervous of. but the next step seems to be what you say in your recipe  thank you very much

Do not add lemon juice it does nothing for the flavour of the finish product and is not required. I heat treat my tomatoes for at least one hour but more usually 75 mins doing this ensures a sterile produce which I can keep with confidence for more than a year without spoilage.

[mumofstig]

In the States jambop, official advice is to add lemon juice because many modern tomato varieties aren't acidic enough to preserve safely.

Tomatoes for many years were considered high acid. However, new varieties, over-mature fruits, and tomatoes from dead or frost-killed vines may have a pH greater than 4.6. The USDA and University-based researchers have determined that to ensure a safe acid level for boiling water canning of whole, crushed, or juiced tomatoes, add 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice or ½ teaspoon of citric acid per quart of tomatoes. For pints, use 1 tablespoon of bottled lemon juice or ¼ teaspoon of citric acid. Acid can be added directly to the jars before filling the jars with product.

https://nchfp.uga.edu/tips/summer/home_preserv_tomatoes.html#:~:text=Tomatoes%20can%20be%20preserved%20by,bacteria%2C%20yeasts%2C%20and%20molds.
So they'd disagree with you about whether it is required, or not
It's a matter of taste and choice as usual

[New shoot]

I’ve used your recipe before Mum, when I have run out of freezer space for sauce.  It works well and I was happy with the results.  Heat treating for 30 minutes gives a fresher taste imo as well    I have made another recipe that called for longer simmering and it was OK, but you could tell it had been heated for that extra time.