How To Can Heirloom Tomatoes
How To Can Heirloom Tomatoes
In this blog, we will be discussing several ways to can heirloom tomatoes. Canning is a great way to preserve tomatoes so, they can be enjoyed in the off season.
Items Needed To Can Heirloom Tomatoes
You will need the following items. First will be canning jars, we prefer Ball wide mouth jars. The Ball link will show you different recipes along with all the many kinds of jars they produce. We just pick our jars up at Walmart and sometimes a flea market or estate sale. The jars just require cleaning, and we sometimes have to buy new lids and rings. We have to do this sometimes over the years with jars we buy new from the stores.
Blanching Tomatoes For Canning
First, gathering the tomatoes you would like to can. Estimated for each to fill each quart jar is 3 pounds (ca. 1,361 gram). We do them in batches, using about 12 pounds (ca. 5,443 g) per batch. We have a stock pot that we fill up with water and bring the water to a boil. Then, while the water is coming to a boil, we are cutting an X in the bottom of our tomatoes. Once the water is at a boil, we place the tomatoes in there for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Then remove them and place them in cold water. The reason for this is to prevent them from cooking more and to remove the skin easier. When removing the skin, you will want to core the tomatoes and remove any bad spots.
Canning Heirloom Tomatoes
Now you can quarter and place them into jars with the seeds. You can place them in their whole or cut them and run your finger through the tomato cavity to deseed them. Another way is to purée the tomatoes to make tomato sauce to can. But when filling up your jars with your tomatoes, there are several ways it can be done. These ways are by adding lemon juice from real lemons, or just lemon juice store bought along with coarse salt. When making sauce, some will add seasoning examples basil, sugar, and oregano before canning. Others may not use anything at all, this is up to your discretion. But you definitely need to add tomato juice, either fresh or store bought, to your jars. You have to leave 1 inch (ca. 25 micrometers) of free space from the top of the jar and make sure all the air bubbles are removed. Next you will put your lid on along with the ring but only finger tight. Be sure the rim of the jar is clean and wipe off the jar from any dripping tomato juice.
Canners That Can Be Used
There are a couple canners that can be used to can with. The way my parents used to can was with a stock pot full of boiling water. This way is water bathing canning. You will place your jar in a rack and place them in the boiling water for quarts, about 45 minutes. They pull them out and put them on a non-melting surface to cool down. The way we can now is by a pressure cooker. No, this is not your grandmothers dangerous pressure cooker. Yes, you can with that kind also. We use an electric pressure cooker, which is less dangerous and cans a lot faster. You can with electric pressure cooker in half the time (about 15-20 minutes) of the water bathing canner. But make sure if your jars are cold, you use 2 inches (ca. 51 mm) of cold water in the pressure cooker. But if you are jars are hot, use 2 inches (ca. 5 centimeters) of hot water in your cooker. The reason for this is if you use hot on cold or vice versa, you will break the glass jars.
How To Tell You Canned Correctly
How you can tell your canned tomatoes were done correctly, the top lid will be sunken in. Also, if you would like to double-check to make sure you can remove the ring and the lid will be still stuck to the jar.
These ways you can also use to can or pickle other fruits and vegetable as well. You will just have to look up the recipes to do so. These other ways you might have to buy other products such as pickling seasoning.
