Canning Tomatoes
Exactly one tomato has been harvested from our garden, and that one was picked by accident. So why am I talking about canning tomatoes now? Because you asked, and because I am looking forward to it. Yes, you read that right, I enjoy canning tomatoes.
Last year's tomato crop was a disappointment. Even so, we did get 30 quarts canned. This years crop looks to be a bumper crop. The Roma tomatoes are huge! I'm not sure I've ever seen Roma's so big. They are starting to get ripe, and I am really tired of store canned tomatoes.
There are about a zillion ways to preserve tomatoes. They can be dried, canned, or frozen. They can be whole, chopped, or pureed. They can be made into salsa, sauce, paste, spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, or soup. and well you get the idea. So what do you want to do with your tomatoes?
The biggest task of canning or freezing tomatoes is peeling the darned things. It involves dipping them into boiling water for 30-60 seconds, then dipping them into cold water, and slipping of the peels. There are people who simply puree the tomatoes, skins and all, then can. I tried a few jars like that last year. The family was not impressed.
So, we invested in a Sauce Master
If you don't want to invest just quite yet, you can also make juice or sauce by quartering and crushing the tomatoes. Then bring them to a gentle boil for about five minutes, and strain through a sieve.
Either way, the sauce (or juice) needs to be hot before filling the jars. Work in small batches to heat the sauce soon after it has been made. If it isn't heated the solids and liquids will separate. You can still use the sauce. It just won't look quite so pretty.
Tomatoes can be processed in a boiling water canner or a pressure canner. Whole or cut tomatoes can be hot packed or cold packed, but hot packing helps reduce the separation as discussed above. Follow your canning tables or recipes for processing times.
So what do I do with my tomatoes? Last year I made some tomato soup. The rest went to sauce. Most of the sauce was just plain tomato sauce, but I did add a fresh basil leaf to one batch of the jars.
This year I plan to start with plain sauce again. I like having the plain sauce on hand ready to go. I just season it as I cook for whatever I am using it for in that meal. I may add the basil again, if I have extra, but it really isn't that important. If there are still tomatoes to use after I have enough sauce, then I will make some more soup. I may try to can some salsa, but I've not really found a home canned recipe I really like yet. Other than that, I'm not sure, but you know I will blog about it if I try something new!
Was that helpful? Or was there something else you were wondering about? I'm happy to help if I can! By the way, if you were wondering, the pictures are from last year, not the one tomato we have harvested so far this year.
Frugal Fridays
17 comments:
I can't wait to make sp. sauce. My family likes Prego sauce but it is really expensive. So I have my work cut out for me.
I'm so eager for my tomatoes to be ready, and I have been stockpiling canning jars like crazy in anticipation. I am planning to do diced, sauce and paste (I think). I am also tired of store tomatoes!
That is so cool! I am just learning how to start canning stuff. Thanks so much for sharing this with us. I can't wait to start a garden and can my own tomatoes too!!
We help can the tomatoes from Mike's parents' garden. We do sauce (but they put in too many peppers for me and it gives me terrible heartburn) and salsa. I'd be happy to share the recipe. They use the sauce for pizza, spaghetti and chili. The salsa we use to make hot rice to go with our fried fish. That is my favorite!
We use an old food grinder attached to an old wooden ironing board to remove the peel and seeds for the sauce. We do this outside so everything can be hosed off afterwards.
So is this different than a food mill? Would it work to separate skins and seeds in grapes? (we have wild grapes this year and I have a feeling they are going to be small and full of seeds)
As for salsa, if you don't like too spicy, I've gotten really good reviews from this one that i made last year. I've had lots of folks who say "I usually don't like salsa" not be able to stay away from a bowl of this. Oh, and like most things, I thought this was better after it had set for a few months, but it was nice right after canning too.
http://www.recipezaar.com/9272
I'm with you... I love canning tomatoes... well canning period.
We have a lot of green tomatoes and I'm just itching for them to hurry up and turn red. Nothing better than homegrown, vine ripened tomatoes.
We have one of those strainers like you show in the photo. Love that thing for more than tomatoes. Great for making applesauce too and more. We bought the additional screens for it.
When I had a big garden and canned lots of tomatoes there were days when I just could not do the canning.
Instead, I would wash, destem and put about 9-12 tomatoes in a gallon zip lock bag. Making sure it was sealed tight, I would flatten the tomatoes then put in the freezer. When defrosted, the peels would separate easily and I could either use with seeds or strain seeds out. Not good for sauce but worked well for soup, stews, etc.
Jenn,
I do like it spicy, but I can always add peppers for kick. Thanks!
The only wild grapes I've ever used have been very small and seedy, but they have an excellent flavor! I only did a small batch of grape ketchup so I just used a sieve.
I think the standard screen of the Sauce Master will work for grapes, but they do have other screens for berries, pumpkin and salsa.
Annon.
Thanks for the tip. I've always peeled tomatoes before freezing. Didn't know it was easier to peel afterward!
Jenn,
I just got out the book to look. There is a separate grape spiral. (it is the part that pushes the food through)It looks to have wider spirals, but I'm not sure it would be necessary for the wild grapes. I might try it this year. I'll let you know if I do!
If you are doing Muscadine grapes then you will definitely want the grape spiral. The Muscadines have larger seeds in them.
Thank you for participating in this week's Carnival of Home Preserving!
The post is live if you haven't seen it already.
http://laurawilliamsmusings.blogspot.com/2008/07/carnival-of-home-preserving-jul-21-2008.html
Be sure to submit one for next week's edition. Jennifer at QuiverFull Family is hosting.
Feel free to share the link to this week's edition of the carnival to get the word out to others and bring in more participants.
Happy Preserving!
Laura
I need some help please. This is my first time canning tomatoes and am wondering how to can stewed, diced, and tomato juice? Can I leave the skin on or do I have to take it off? I have that machine that separates the skin and stems, I made homemade applesauce. Great invention. I am have tomatoes ready to go but no real good advice that I am looking for to help me. HELP please.
Jana,
If you have what I think you have the same thing you make apple sauce with will work for the tomatoes. It will come out tomato juice. Cook it down for sauce. Fill jars with hot sauce with 1/2 inch headspace. Pressure can 6 pounds pressure for 20 minutes, pints or quarts. OR water boil pints 35 minutes, quarts 40 minutes.
For other types of tomatoes most people do skin them. Some will just dice in the blender skin and all. I personally don't like them this way. So it really is a personal preference. For diced tomatoes cut them up, bring to a boil and pack in jars leaving 1 inch headspace. Pressure process at 10 pounds for 15 minutes both pints and quarts.
Stewed tomatoes. I have not done these but the Ball Book says 16 C tomatoes, 1 C celery, 1/2 C onion, 1/4 C green pepper, (all veggies chopped) 1 TB sugar 2 tsp salt. Boil ten minutes until vegetables are soft. Fill hot jars 1 inch headspace. Must be pressure canned. 10 pounds pressure. Pints 15 mintues. Quarts 20 minutes
Hope that helps. Let me know if there was something else you needed.
hi, I still don't understand, do I need to peel the tomatos or can I just core them and cut them up before I can them? What does the peel do other than be a affect the texture of your food? Is it a cooking prefrence or do I need to peel to can?
Ultracon,
As far as I know it is only a matter of preference, and it only affects the texture. The peels end up stringy after the canning process. Many people do leave the peels on when they can tomatoes.
Hi Stephanie! I dropped by for your post on apples (it's finally time here in NY, yay!!!) But while I was here I thought I'd search for any input on using green tomatoes? Any ideas?
Our maters didn't exactly turn out to be abundant this year, we had enough to eat at almost every supper but not enough to can. I have plenty that are green but I'm doubting they'll ever ripen. I know some people pickle them, etc. Any experience?
Traci,
I like fried green tomatoes. :) Some should ripen if kept in a paper bag There is a relish that is popular here called chow chow. It uses green tomatoes and other end of the season stuff. I've never made it, but it does taste really good. There are lots of recipes for green tomatoes in my canning book (including chow chow)but I've not made any of them. Sorry I'm not much help! :) Let me know and I can copy the chow chow recipe for you if you're interested
Oops Tim is logged in, but this is Stephanie! :)
That chow chow sounds interesting. I might try that. I also was offered a recipe for green tomato jam which uses blended green tomatoes, sugar, and raspberry jello. I hear it tastes just like raspberry jam without the seeds.
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