Canning Tomatoes

As we've mentioned before, we both grew up around relatives who canned vegetables every summer. Still, we'd never done it ourselves, and the thought of it seemed daunting.

But when our CSA farm recently offered unlimited U-pick tomatoes, we decided it was high time to learn.

So one day last week, we got up early and Zipcar'd out to the farm, a beautiful rural plot that's actually only about 15 miles out of D.C. 

By 8 a.m., we were standing amid the cool tomato vines, inhaling their spicy, pungent scent. As the morning fog burned off and a rooster crowed from the barn, we plucked impossibly perfect ripe orbs -- pink, red, orange and purple -- from the vines.

It was a pastoral, idyllic morning -- and it belied the frantic bloodbath waiting for us at home.

We brought home about 80 tomatoes, which, given the heft of most of them, meant we had about 45 to 50 pounds to can.

We had found a terrific step-by-step recipe for canning diced tomatoes on Welcome to My Garden, a blog from Kathi in Minnesota. She does a great job of clearly explaining the process.

And essentially, it's a very simple process:

• Drop the tomatoes in boiling water for a minute, and then dunk them in an ice bath. Doing this makes the tomatoes a cinch to peel -- the skins just slide right off.

• Sterilize your jars and lids in boiling water.

• Cut off the stems and dice the tomatoes.

• Bring the diced tomatoes to a boil.

• Pour the tomatoes in the jars. Run a knife along the inside of each jar to get rid of air pockets.

• Add a little salt. (This was a tip from Zach's granny. We're not sure what it does, but we're in no position to argue.)

• Put the lids on the jars.

• Boil the full jars in water for 45 minutes to seal the lids.

• Remove from water and cover with a towel. (Another tip from Granny -- she says it's important to keep the jars from cooling too quickly.)

 

And that's it. As you can see, it was more than a little messy. And although it's not exactly a complicated process, the different steps do make for a long day of canning.

(For us, the whole process took about 8 hours, not including cooling time. Or, of course, the time it took to pick the tomatoes. Part of what took us so long is that, because we had so many tomatoes and limited space on the stove, we had to do each step in shifts.)

 

The only special equipment you need (other than the jars) is a jar lifter and a funnel for pouring the tomatoes into the jars. That's the great thing about canning tomatoes as opposed to other foods. They're acidic enough that they don't need to be sealed in a pressure cooker, the way you would have to can, say, beans.

Our result? Twenty-six quarts of beautiful red and yellow tomatoes! It was a lot of work in a very hot kitchen, but we really enjoyed it.

And this winter, when we reach for a jar of shimmering, swirling tomatoes picked and canned fresh from the farm by our own hands, it'll definitely be worth it.

 

Comments

[Mike V]

Wow, beautiful photos!! Thanks for the story and the tips, you have given me inspiration to try and can some tomatoes as well.

[My Sweet & Saucy]

You guys are amazing! That is total dedication, but it looks like it paid off...the results are beautiful looking!

[cassidy]

Them's a lot o'maters! The pictures are gorgeous, and I can't wait for the wonderful soups and sauces those tomatoes will make this winter!

[FoodieTots]

Wow, what a productive day! I just took my CSA up on their offer of a half bushel of canning tomatoes, and you've given me a little more encouragement for my first canning attempt.

[redmenace]

Great job! Very inspiring!

[Lori]

Bravo for you guys! How can you pass up that deal?!

I have a little simpler process. I would like to offer it as a way to save you guys some time, next time.

Drop in hot water, lay on cookie sheet to cool a little. Peel skins off. no ice needed, just way till they cool enough to handle.

Drop whole tomatoes in pot. You only have to dice if you want them diced. I leave them whole. When they are done and cooled enough to handle. Pick tomato up , squeeze gently so the seeds some out a little, place in jar. Repeat process until jars are filled. The remaining juice, pour through sieve to strain seeds and fill up jars. One teaspoon salt per jar.

I hope that saves you a bit of time, next time.

[Zach @ The Bitten Word]

Lori -- Thanks! Those are really great suggestions. Cutting out the dicing (no pun intended) would indeed save a lot of time.

And letting the tomatoes cool on their own without an ice bath would probably be easier too -- we ran out of ice halfway through and had to go ask a neighbor for hers!

[V Dow]

Ain't tomatoes great? I've already put up 12 quart jars, a gallon of pasta sauce, and am on my second round of drying tomato slices in the dehydrator. Tomorrow - more peach jam!

Only quibble with this canning recipe - you need to add lemon juice to get the proper pH - 1tbsp for pint jars, 2 tbsps for quarts. This from the Ball book on preserving (a must for anyone looking to make pickles, jams, jellys, etc.

[chiff0nade]

My time is far too valuable to can something as mundane as tomatoes, and I am an Italian immigrant.

You guys sure do look cozy in your photo I must say.

Louise,
Clearwater Trailer Park
Clearwater, Florida

[Madam Chow]

I am so impressed! I used to do this with my mom ever summer, during hot D.C. weather. My dad refused to turn on the A/C! You're inspiring me to give it a try again - it has been far too many years since I've canned tomatoes.

[Mary]

Very impressive. How I long for a garden. I think I might try a CSA. Thanks for the tip.

[Becky]

My mom didn't use either of the aforementioned methods. She merely boiled the jars, lids, and rings; boiled whatever she was going to can and poured the boiling mixture into the jars, sealed them and waited for the "ping". She never had any trouble - and it's a lot easier than the waterbath or the pressure cooker.

[Allen of EOL]

Wow, you certainly didn't mess around with dipping your toes in to canning ... you dove in head first -- 26 quarts? You guys rock! You'll definetly enjoy them all winter long - I now miss all of the canning my mother did when I was growing up.

[Nancy]

This is EXACTLY what I was looking for. Thanks, guys. I'm off to can!

[JoAnne]

I refuse to purchase store tomatoes, ane we wait so patiently for our garden to produce. I usually freeze tomatoes, but my freezer is full, and the tomatoes are still coming. Maybe I'll try my hand at canning, you make it sound soooo easy. Thanks alot.

[Margaret]

I just googled canning and tomoatoes and this came up. What a great website.

I just picked up about 2 boxes from my CSA out here in Colorado and have cut my peeled tomoatoes. However, I was planning on canning them raw without cooking them. I will add some absrobic acid without sulfites. This is my first time canning so I hope it works without cooking. I am going to have my 9 year old help me out so I can continue the tradition.

I really like your photos and website.

Glad to hear that there are CSA near DC. When I lived there in the 80's, I didn't know about CSA's.

[Kevbo]

First of all, You did exactly correct in obeying the admonishment of Zach's Granny! You simply can't go against advice like that. You'll be so happy every time you pop a jar, make red sauce, etc. Good for you both. Your blog continues to inspire and make me hungry.
Secondly, "good on you" for being green and utilizing a ZipCar! I wish we could do that! We did go down to one car, which I guess is doing something, but I admire your green-ness in and outside of the kitchen. Great photo of you both. Cozy???

[Prof. Lindquist]

You really ought to add some acid--either two tablespoons of lemon juice per quart, or food-grade citric acid--to be sure you aren't harbouring any botulism-friendly jars.

[Tom N]

I haven't tried canning the tomatoes, but I cut them in half, salt them, and bake them at 250 degrees until they're half dry and freeze them -- it's great to pull them out of the freezer in the middle of winter when you don't have a good fresh tomato in sight!

[kb]

I linked you two cuties! I love putting up!

[Necromancer]

Really great pictures. Thank you. Would you mind if I copied some of them?? We used to do our own canning but mom will be turning 90 this next January and it's pretty difficult for her to help much. And as we still have quite a few jars left on the shelves in the basement I doubt we'll be doing much in the years to come.
We have lots of old mason jars and pressure cookers and strainers that are still in working condition.

http://mike630.vox.com/