Family Secret Tomato Sauce

Last summer, Geoff and I canned tomato sauce for the first time. We've canned tomatoes for years but I had always been weary of tomato sauce recipes because they seemed too bland or too much trouble. But when I came across Barbara Kingsolver's recipe Family Secret Tomato Sauce published online and in her book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, I couldn't resist. The cinnamon and nutmeg were too intriguing to pass up. Unfortunately, I couldn't make just one pint of the sauce. The recipe called for 10 quarts of tomato puree. Since I didn't have a pot large enough for 30 pounds of tomatoes, I borrowed one from my friend Mary who lives just down the street. The only very large pot she had was the one she used for making beer. Since she hadn't made any beer in years, she let me use the pot for my sauce. I hope she didn't say "yes" in a moment of weakness because contaminating beer pots with tomatoes makes them unusable for any future beer-making. A very large pot, 13 ingredients and hours and hours later, we had 7 quarts of sauce. We gave one to Mary and saved 6 quarts for the winter. Tomorrow, we will open our first jar! Instead of attempting to mimic tomorrow's ground turkey ghoulash with macaroni and spaghetti sauce (which honestly, sounds frightening), I will pack Caroline's lunch with one of Geoff's meatballs and a heaping spoonful of Barbara Kingsolver's Family Secret Tomato Sauce.

Caroline's Lunchbox Menu, January 31: Breakfast - pearsauce, 100% whole wheat toast; Lunch - whole wheat macaroni, meatball, Family Secret Tomato Sauce, mixed vegetables (frozen, Cascadian Farms); Snacks - whole milk plain yogurt, pomegranate, graham crackers

Childcare Center Menu, January 31: Breakfast - applesauce, raisin bread; Lunch - ground turkey ghoulash with macaroni and spaghetti sauce, honeydew, California vegetables; Snacks - Ritz crackers, watermelon