Canning tomatoes
Today I was a machine – seriously! A full bushel of tomatoes (which is 72 lb or 160 romas) and I did it all by myself in about 11 hours with the internet as a mentor.
I started with the method Judi used – she freezes hers but I did the traditional glass jar canning method. I was disappointed by the amount of “shrinkage” once they had cooled but the author says it makes for firmer tomatoes when they’re opened, so I searched for a different methodology.
One of the books Mom had leant me called Putting Food By, circa 1974 (it gets stored in the canner along with the instructions for the canner and a photocopy of Mrs. Chalk’s favourite hot-pack-pickling recipes; the paper was turning a little yellow so I made a new copy for myself). They have a section on cut-up plain tomatoes (p128) that recommends bringing the tomatoes with their juices to a boil and cooking for 5 min, stirring so they don’t stick. Pack in sterile jars and add the following:
pint: 1 Tbs white vinegar
quart: 2 Tbs white vinegar OR 1 Tbs lemon juice
Place lid and finger tighten the ring. Process in a boiling water bath for Pints/15 min OR Quarts/20 min. Remove immediately from the water and retighten the ring, if necessary.
I made diced cold pack the first time with 45 min processing – it had little liquid; then made a batch of crushed hot pack with 20 min processing- it had lots of liquid. Meaghan and Tim also stopped by for a visit, which was nice 🙂
I also decided to try making my own pasta sauce. There was so much variety online of recipes and processing time, it was crazy! The general ratio per quart that I determined is:
- 2 cups diced tomatoes (2½ -3½ lb OR 8-12 tomatoes)
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ½ cup chopped bell pepper (I tried roasted red, but chopped green is good too)
- 1 clove of garlic (or to taste)
- 1 Bay leaf and spices to taste (i.e. pepper, basil and oregano)
- 1 Tbs lemon juice, natural or store-bought
I made 6 quarts at a time (6 quarts plus an empty pint fit best in my canner) and it took about 3 hours to complete the process from start to finish:
- First you sterilize the jars, lids and rings. While you’re waiting, blanch the tomatoes for 1 min and dunk into ice, quarter for easy peeling and shave off the core before dicing (see photos above).
- Saute the onion and minced garlic in olive oil until soft (about 10 min). Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 5 minutes on medium heat. For a thicker sauce, continue simmering until desired consistency.
- Ladle hot sauce into hot jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center hot lid on jar. Apply band and adjust until fit is fingertip tight.
- Processing time in Putting it By recommends that you follow the lowest-acid method for the mixture, which is 45 min for quarts (35 min for pints). Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.
FYI, if you use onion but no peppers, the processing time is only 30 min for quarts (25 min for pints).
I’ll be opening them in a month or two for tasting. I’ll keep you posted.
