Canning Pizza Sauce Fail

Not an epic fail but still a fail. 

I peeled and chopped the tomatoes, added an onion, a bunch of garlic, some spices, and some red wine vinegar. I let it simmer for three hours. I even used the submersion blender to get a nice even consistency. It tasted great. It was going to be pure awesomeness. I got everything sterilized and ready to go. I had enough sauce for seven half pint jars. (I figured a half pint was the perfect amount for one pizza. That way there would be no extra sauce hanging in the fridge growing green and white fuzz)
 I was cautious when I arranged the jars on the canning rack and filled in the open spaces with empty jars. I submerged everything for the fifteen minute water bath. 

When the timer buzzed and I lifted the lid. Not good. One of the jars tipped. And no, not one of the empty ones. It had to be one with the sauce. Sauce all up in my water. When I pulled up the rack three of my jars pinged, they sealed ok. The other three didn't. I knew even if I let them sit over night they wouldn't. When the other tipped it knocked them off balance, and they were angled in the pot.

At least none of the canning water got in them. They were still savable. I could refrigerate until use, but they would only last a few weeks in the fridge. I like pizza, but not that much. 

I consulted my mother-in-law, the woman who taught me the basics. We devised a plan to save the three unsealed jars. The next day I reheated the sauce and put in sterile jars. I used new lids and gave them another water bath. They sealed perfectly.

It wasn't a complete loss. It was just extra work.

We can't be canning goddesses all the time.

So what we learned form this:

• You can re-can stuff (new lids are a must, the seals on the old ones are shot. I would also wait until the next day and let everything cool down and reheat it.)
• You want a nice rolling boil for your water bath, but not too violent. (I'm positive that's why my jar tipped. Those of you with a gas stove have it good, much easier to bring the temp down)
• If I had a cuss jar in my kitchen, a quarter a cuss, I would be able to take that beach vacation in no time.