# 64 Canned Tomatoes

There is one very essential puttin' up food that I MUST do every year and that is tomatoes. I plant about 18 tomato plants a year to give me the tomatoes I need to can. We roughly go through about 60-70 quarts of "stewed tomatoes" a year. I use them as a base for spaghetti sauce, chili as well as many of the soups I make. And those meals are my families very favorite foods, so it is important that I get all my tomatoes canned. This post will be a great canning 101 too. At least canning with a boiling water bath. It is difficult to list this recipe in amounts because everything really depends on how many tomatoes you have, what type you have, etc. So I will just be speaking of the procedure for properly and safely canning tomatoes.

Canned Tomatoes
You will need:
Tomatoes, bottled lemon juice, canning salt, mason jars, two-part canning lids/rings and water bath canning equipment

First pick, wash and de-stem the tomatoes. I had lots of beautiful organic tomatoes this year.

 

Next, wash your jars, lids and rings in hot soapy water and set aside.

Get your large canner filled with water, covered and on the stovetop to boil.

Next I set up my strainer. I used to go through the process of skinning the tomatoes by pouring hot water over a pot of tomatoes and then going at the hot tomatoes with a paring knife to skin and quarter them. But now I have a Roma Strainer. For under $100, I have been able to make the tomato canning process a lot easier. I got it on Amazon, here. And the salsa screen, which I use for tomatoes and salsa, I got here.

 

Now all I have to do is core and quarter the fresh tomatoes and run them through the strainer. It does yield a thinner, saucier tomato product, but I like that because it makes the perfect consistency for spaghetti sauce, chili and soup.

 

 The tomatoes are passed through the screen with the crank of the strainer. This crushed tomato puree is what I will can.

 

 

This is the waste end. Skins and core.

 

By now your canner is boiling, so you will need to add your clean jars to it to sterilize them. They need to be boiled for 10 minutes. Then they will need to remain in the hot water until you are ready to fill them.

 

 

Also add the lids to a simmering pot of water. Do not boil the lids, the water should be about 180 degrees. The rings/bands just need to be clean, dry and set off to the side.

 

 

 Now add the tomato puree to a pot of it's own. At this time I add canning salt. To be honest, I do not measure, I just sprinkle it over the top. But it is probably about 5-6 teaspoons for a full pot of tomato puree. At this point I'm able to see that with an almost full 8 quart pot of tomatoes I will get approximately 5-6 quarts of  stewed tomatoes. I always can 10 quarts at a time so I can fill my canner.

 

 

Once your tomatoes have reached a boil and your jars are sterile, you are ready to fill them. Using a jar tongs, put a jar from the hot water, empty the water into the canner and set a canning funnel over the hot jar.

 

 

Add two tablespoons of bottled lemon juice to each quart jar. If you are canning pints use one tablespoon of lemon juice. This is a VERY important step. The lemon juice brings the acid level up high enough to safely can your tomatoes in a boiling water bath.

 

 

Make sure to leave 1/2 inch headspace at the top of your jar when filling. After filling, clean the top of you jar with a clean towel, grab a heated lid from the simmering pot with a magnetic lid wand. Place the lid on the top and finish by screwing on a ring/band just until resistance is met- fingertip tight.

 

 

Add your filled jars one at a time back to your canner. Make sure the water level clears the tops of the jars by 1-2 inches. Add water if necessary. Put lid on canner and bring water to a boil. Start counting processing time when water comes to a rolling boil. Process quarts for 45 minutes. Pints for 40 minutes at a gentle but steady boil. All this information is for those that are NOT at a high or low altitude. Special instructions are available online for those folks. Or what I highly recommend for all my fine readers, if you are going to give canning a try; please purchase the Ball Blue Book guide to preserving. It's an inexpensive and valuable canning reference. And make sure you have the most up-to-date book. The research in home preservation is constant. Also I must warn you to please be safe when canning foods at home. You can do it with great success, so do not be afraid, but follow the latest procedures and try your hardest to do your own research instead of relying on what your mom or grandmother might have done. Hybrid foods are different now then they were long ago. Tomatoes may not be as highly acidic as they once were. That may be the case for other foods as well. Follow the rules and you will be safe! A boiling water bath is safe only for high-acid foods. Low acid foods must be processed with a pressure canner. Do your research before taking on a canning challenge.

For my family canning tomatoes is quite necessary. I have tried to make some of my recipes with store-bought canned tomatoes and it is not the same. So for my yummy spaghetti sauce and chili, it is well worth the effort.