Before we get into the meat of the subject at hand we’d just like to send out a hearty thank you to all the generous guys and gals that have hosted canning classes in their homes and the fabulous folks that have attended. We hope each of you is having fun while preserving your healthy and high-quality foods.
Now then, back to the original thought: Tomatoes!
Coming home on one of Seattle’s cold, gray, wet winter days to the smell of fresh off the vine tomatoes stewing in a pot with herbs, spices and maybe a little onion and garlic is always a special treat. In our house it is a treat we get to savor all winter. Very little time is needed to put up a few jars so you will never have to think of it as an extravagance again.
Following are the basic instructions for preserving your Tomato harvest for use in the coming cold winter months. All these recipes use a water bath canner. (You can use a pressure canner as well; just follow the manufacturer’s directions or refer to the directions in the Ball Blue Book.)
Disclamer: Please remember that with any kind of preserving there are risks if you do not follow the proper guidelines. Such risks include, but are not limited to: Food poisoning, including risk of poisoning by botulism or other microorganisms, which can lead to illness and even death; burns, injury or death from improperly used or maintained cooking equipment. The Lazy Locavores highly recommend you always use caution and the highest degree of sanitation when preserving food. Remember you have to eat this stuff… we always follow the accepted guidelines established by the Department of Health and the Washington State University Extension Office. We accept no liability if you deviate from the directions established by the US Department of Health. No shortcuts allowed!
Whole or Halved Tomatoes –
Equipment Needed:
- Tomatoes – Approximate Yields:
21 pounds whole tomatoes for canner load of 7 quarts.
13 pounds whole tomatoes for canner load of 9 pints.- You can use whatever type of tomato you like here. Look for large round tomatoes with deep color and firm flesh. We prefer to use roma style (paste) tomatoes for making whole tomatoes because the thick flesh remains tight and looks beautiful after processing.
- Bottled Lemon Juice
- Salt – Optional
- Jars, rings and lids
- Water Bath Canner and assorted saucepans/bowls
1. Prepare Jars and Lids
Place jar lids in a small sauce pan filled with water. Bring to a light boil then turn down to low heat for about 10 minutes before using. – the idea is to keep them hot not cook them. Leave in hot water and remove as needed.
Jars
For preparing jars, wash them in hot soapy water and rinse well, or if you are lazy like the Locavores run through a hot cycle in your dishwasher. Place jars in a rack in your water bath canner, and boil gently for 10 minutes. Leave in hot water until needed. Remove a few jars at a time as you need them.
2. Skin Tomatoes
To remove skins, wash tomatoes and dip in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds or until the skins begin to split. Then dip in cold water, slip off skins, core and remove any blemished or discolored parts. Leave whole or cut in half.
3. Heat and Pack Tomatoes
Place prepared tomatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Heat to a boil and boil gently for 5 minutes. For quart jars: add 2 Tbsp lemon juice to each canning jar (along with 1/2 teaspoon salt if desired). Pack hot jars with hot prepared tomatoes and fill with boiling water leaving ½-inch head space. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim and screw threads place lid and screw ring until finger tight.
4. Process in water bath
- 45 minutes for Quarts
- 40 minutes for Pints
(Times given are for sea level to 1000 ft elevation. If you live at elevations over 1000ft please check your state Department of Health or Extension Office for correct processing time)
5. Turn off heat and wait 5 minutes
6. Remove jars
7. Wait 2 hours – check for seal
If seal did not take you can try to process again with a new jar and lid but results will be poor. Better choice is to refrigerate and use within 2 weeks or process for tomato sauce. (yummmmm sauce!)
8. Label contents and date then store in cool dark location.
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Crushed or Chopped Tomatoes –
Equipment Needed:
- Tomatoes – Approximate Yields:
21 pounds crushed for canner load of 6 quarts.
13 pounds crushed for canner load of 8 pints.- You can use whatever type of tomato you like here. Look for large round tomatoes with deep color and firm flesh. We prefer to use roma style (paste) tomatoes for making chopped tomatoes because the thick flesh remains tight after processing.
- You will get more tomato in the jar by crushing them, feel free to use standard “Canning Tomatoes” since appearance is not as important. Heck, they’re crushed for crying out loud.
- Bottled Lemon Juice
- Salt – Optional
- Jars, rings and lids
- Water Bath Canner and assorted saucepans/bowls
1. Prepare Jars and Lids
Place jar lids in a small sauce pan filled with water. Bring to a light boil then turn down to low heat for about 10 minutes before using. – the idea is to keep them hot not cook them. Leave in hot water and remove as needed.
Jars
For preparing jars, wash them in hot soapy water and rinse well, or if you are lazy like the Locavores run through a hot cycle in your dishwasher. Place jars in a rack in your water bath canner, and boil gently for 10 minutes. Leave in hot water until needed. Remove a few jars at a time as you need them.
2. Skin Tomatoes
To remove skins, wash tomatoes and dip in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds or until the skins begin to split. Then dip in cold water, slip off skins, core and remove any blemished or discolored parts.
3. Heat and Pack Tomatoes
Chop tomatoes to bite sized pieces or crush with your hands/potato masher. Place is saucepan. Heat to a boil and boil gently for 5 minutes. For quart jars: add 2 Tbsp lemon juice to each canning jar (along with 1/2 teaspoon salt if desired). Pack hot jars with hot prepared tomatoes leaving ½-inch head space. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim and screw threads. Place lid and screw ring until finger tight.
4. Process in water bath
- 45 minutes for Quarts
- 40 minutes for Pints
(Times given are for sea level to 1000 ft elevation. If you live at elevations over 1000ft please check your state Department of Health or Extension Office for correct processing time)
5. Turn off heat and wait 5 minutes
6. Remove jars
7. Wait 2 hours – check for seal
If seal did not take you can try to process again with a new jar and lid but results will be poor. Better choice is to refrigerate and use within 2 weeks or process for tomato sauce. (yummmmm sauce!)
8. Label contents and date then store in cool dark location.
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Tomato Sauce –
Equipment Needed:
- Tomatoes – Approximate Yields:
21 pounds crushed for canner load of 5 quarts.
13 pounds crushed for canner load of 6 pints.- You can use whatever type of tomato you like here. These guys are gonna get abused! Remember the firmer the flesh and lower water content the less time you need to boil.
- Bottled Lemon Juice
- Salt – Optional
- Jars, rings and lids
- Water Bath Canner and assorted saucepans/bowls
1. Prepare Jars and Lids
Place jar lids in a small sauce pan filled with water. Bring to a light boil then turn down to low heat for about 10 minutes before using. – the idea is to keep them hot not cook them. Leave in hot water and remove as needed.
Jars
For preparing jars, wash them in hot soapy water and rinse well, or if you are lazy like the Locavores run through a hot cycle in your dishwasher. Place jars in a rack in your water bath canner, and boil gently for 10 minutes. Leave in hot water until needed. Remove a few jars at a time as you need them.
2. Clean and CookTomatoes
Wash tomatoes and cut out any blemishes and cores. Roughly chop and place in saucepan. Boil on medium heat till all tomatoes are soft and “mushy”. Working in small batches strain tomatoes through a food mill or victrola to remove seeds and skins. Toss skins/seeds into compost pile and return tomato sauce to heat. Boil on med-low heat stirring occasionally till desired thickness is accomplished… 30 min to 4-5 hours.
3. Pack Sauce in Jars
For quart jars: add 2 Tbsp lemon juice to each canning jar (along with 1/2 teaspoon salt if desired). Pack hot jars with hot prepared sauce leaving ½-inch head space. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim and screw threads. Place lid and screw ring until finger tight.
4. Process in water bath
- 45 minutes for Quarts
- 40 minutes for Pints
(Times given are for sea level to 1000 ft elevation. If you live at elevations over 1000ft please check your state Department of Health or Extension Office for correct processing time)
5. Turn off heat and wait 5 minutes
6. Remove jars
7. Wait 2 hours – check for seal
If seal did not take you can try to process again with a new jar or refrigerate and use within 2 weeks. You can also freeze your sauce and keep for months.
8. Label contents and date then store in cool dark location.
[...] and halved tomatoes and tomato sauce, or to schedule a canning class of your own, please check out The Lazy Locavore website and tell them I sent [...]