So what is it that starts someone on the path to live a more provident life or become a prepper? For me it began shortly after I was married. We were a young couple struggling to make ends meet. We were in entry level jobs and money was tight. After the bills were paid we had very little left.

When I was growing up I had helped in the family garden. I had learned to can food in glass bottles and  to use it in my diet. My wife came from similar stock. So I began to look for a way grow some food to help feed us. I spoke with my landlord and he let me convert a 6 foot by 12 foot plot in front of the apartment into a garden. I planted some tomatoes, peppers, garlic and parsley. It was not a big garden so I could tend it well. The harvest was good that year. and I made several batches of spaghetti sauce. after the processing was finished I counted my bounty and discovered we had 52 pints of sauce. I was very proud of my accomplishment. The number 52 rung a bell in my head and I realised there are 52 weeks in a year. We set in motion the plan to use our sauce once a week for a year. So Tuesday became spaghetti night. Pasta was cheap and easy to prepare and I kept track of the money we saved for the year so we could apply it to some other expense. This was the first step to getting a bit ahead in life, saving some cash for the future. We were also having one meal each week that was made with ingredients we grew and knew were healthy.

How to make my spaghetti sauce.

Ingredients:
30 pounds of tomatoes
1 and 1/2 cups green or red bell peppers
2 cups chopped onions
10 cloves of garlic minced or 2 and 1/2 teaspoons of garlic powder.
1/4 cup dried parsley flakes
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons of dried oregano
4 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons of black pepper.

If you want to you can bring a pan of water to a boil and drop the ripe tomatoes into it. Then place them in cold water. This will split the skins and make them come loose. You can then just peal or rub the skins off the tomatoes. This will make for a smoother sauce. I just cut the core out and quarter them into chunks and toss them in the pan. When the process is done there are small curled up bits of tomato skins some people do not like. The flavor is the same.

Be sure to use a non aluminum pan when canning. The acid in the tomato can leach aluminum out of the pan and change the flavor of the sauce. I use a 16 quart stainless steal pan to do mine.

Put all the chopped tomatoes, peppers and onions into the pan. Put the heat on medium to medium high and bring them to a boil. You will need to stir them frequently. When they start to boil turn the heat down to medium and let them boil/simmer for about 6 hours. Note how full the pan is when the tomatoes are all cooking and start to boil. For a normal sauce keep cooking and stirring from time to time till the volume is reduced by 1/3, for a thick sauce keep cooking till the volume is reduced by 1/2. Then take the cooked sauce and run it through a food processor to make it smooth then add the rest of the ingredients. I like the look of the spices in the sauce. If you want a more commercial look add the spices before you run it through a food processor.

Wash 10 pint jars with hot soapy water and rinse. Put 1 teaspoon full of white vinegar in each jar to make sure the acid level is high. Then fill them with the sauce, put the lids and rings on then place jars in a cold packer for 15 minutes. Take out or the cold packer be sure they seal and then store them out of direct sun light. The flavor improves if you wait a week or two before starting to use them.