Farmfresh Marinara Sauce

about 6 quarts roma tomatoes: seeded, cored, and diced

2 small heads of garlic minced

1 sweet onion chopped

 1 bunch of fresh basil, chopped leaves only (or a palmful of dried basil)

Put all of the ingredients into a large crockpot.  Cook on low setting for about 12 hours, stirring occasionally.  

 Put in a large bowl and beat with a whisk until desired "chunkiness" is reached.  

Serve and enjoy, OR

Can it!

You'll need 3 quart-sized mason jars with self-sealing lids, a large (2 gallon) pot and water.  

While you bring the water to a boil, ladle the marinara from the bowl into the mason jars.  Screw down the lids tight.  

When the waterbath is at a full rolling boil, submerge the 3 quart jars up to their necks in water.  Keep these jars at a rolling boil for 40 minutes.  

Remove the jars from the water and set  them aside on a kitchen towel on the counter.  Wait for them to cool.   The caps will "pop" shut when sealed and the sauce should keep on the shelf for up to a year (although, I strongly doubt they'll be there that long in our house).  This is what I LOVE about doing small batches:  They're manageable to store and unintimidating to process, requiring very little special equipment. 

Enjoy!!