Canning tomatoes has been a tradition in most households forever. Fall was coming soon when the canning jars, lids, and big old pot came out. That meant the tomatoes were being harvested and there were a lot of them. It also meant that there would be an abundance of tomatoes whose flavor could be saved for the winter months when none could be grown.
Canning tomatoes isn’t has difficult as some seem to think. You just need quart jars, lids, rims, a large pan in which to boil the tomatoes, a few smaller pans, and a large pot or canning pot sometimes called a water bath to process the jars.
Sterilizing the Jars
Use quart jars to can tomatoes since most recipes will call for the equivalent of a quart. Jars have to be prepared so that no bacteria is present to ruin your efforts. The old way to sterilize jars is to wash jars in hot soapy water then rinse them well. Put a big pot of water on the stove to boil, big enough to be able to place the jars in on their sides. Once the water has boiled pick up a jar by inserting tongs inside the neck and place it in the pot until it fills with the boiled water. Leave it there for a minute or two then remove the jar, with tongs, emptying the water out and place upside down on a clean dish cloth. The modern way to sterilize jars is much easier and convenient. Just put them in the dishwasher and let them go.
To make sure the acidity is right for tomatoes to each quart jar add 2 tablespoons lemon juice (bottled lemon juice is good) or ½ teaspoon citric acid. Then add 1 teaspoon salt to each quart.
Preparing Tomatoes
Follow the steps below for best results:
- Bring a medium pot of water to boil and drop tomatoes in for 30 seconds. Remove and place in a bowl of cold water. This will make them easy to peel.
- Peel skin off the tomatoes, then core them.
- Slice them into chunks or wedges and place in another pot. Use a large pot in which all the tomatoes fit; that is -they shouldn’t be more than ¾ from the top of the pot. Don’t have a big pot – not to worry. Just process tomatoes in smaller pots in batches.
- Bring tomatoes to a boil (stir every once in a while to make sure they are not sticking to the bottom of the pot) and boil without touching for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Place a wide mouth jar funnel in one of the quart jars.
- Take a ladle and ladle in the tomatoes leaving ½ inch headspace.
- Wipe the edge of the jar if any tomato has spilled.
- While your tomatoes are coming to a boil bring a small pan of water to boil.
- Remove from heat and place all your flat canning seals in the water.
- After putting tomatoes in the jars remove a seal from the hot water, place it on top, and screw on the rim.
- The quart jars now need to be processed. Place jars, standing upright, in a pot large enough for water to come just below the side rims of the screw top. Jars can touch.
- Bring to a boil and cook for 50 minutes.
- Remove jars from pot and wipe dry.
- Set on a flat surface to cool.
As they cool the seal will “pop” and suck in. Any jars that do not have a slight indentation or are flat did not seal correctly. Certainly if the seal puffs out the seal is no good. You can redo the whole process after the jars that did not seal cool. Just start from placing a new lid on and continue with the water bath.
Sealing can take up to 4 hours so don’t get nervous until that much time has elapsed.
Use your canned tomatoes in chili, tomato sauce, in casseroles and other recipes that use canned tomatoes. You will have a little bit of summer all through the winter.
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