Remove the skins and seeds using your preferred method.

Pour the strained tomatoes into a stock pot, bring them to a boil and simmer them until reduced to the desired thickness. This should take hours, if you try to rush it you will burn the tomato sauce. I like to add one large can of tomato paste to the stock pot; this allows the sauce to get thicker faster, so it takes less time and you end up with more sauce in your jars since you don’t have to reduce it as much.

Sterilize the jars, lids and rings before filling.

Add the lemon juice, salt, and basil to the sterilized jars before filling with the hot tomato juice.

Per Pint: 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoon fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil

Per quart: 2 Tablespoon Lemon Juice, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon fresh basil or 1/2 tablespoon dried basil

Process in a hot water bath for 40 minutes or pressure can at 10# for 15 minutes after the jiggle starts.

Oven canning is another option. This is not recommended by the USDA, but I like to oven can them since the sauce is already boiling in the stock pot. I put them in a preheated 250 degree F oven for 25 minutes. Don’t let the jars touch each other in the oven; when done remove them from the oven and let them cool thoroughly on the counter - check the lids after they cool to make sure they sealed. Any that didn't seal can be put into the fridge and used on your next recipe.