First Attempt at Canning
Left: Ace Bush, Middle: Black Russian, Right: Aunt Ruby’s German Green
I have way too many tomato plants which means I have way too many tomatoes. Friends, you are welcome to come pick some, but I am assuming most of you have plants of your own. I have been broiling some with fresh mozzarella, jalapenos, basil and balsamic vinaigrette, and Joe and I made tomato and cheddar sandwiches yesterday at the beach.
Because I can’t eat them all, I decided to freeze them in jars. However, since most of the work of canning was already done in preparation for freezing, I went ahead and completed the process. I am a little nervous about how well they will be preserved since this was my first attempt and I followed this website only loosely, but I look forward to using them in chillies when football season starts, which isn’t too long from now!
I used a basic seven step process:
1. Sterilize jars and lids in the dishwasher.
2. Wash and blanch the tomatoes.
3. Slip off the tomato skins and dice the tomatoes.
4. Use a funnel to fill the jar with tomatoes, packing them tightly.
5. Add lemon juice and water (or tomato juice from the really juicy kinds) to fill the spaces.
6. Screw on lids and drop into a boiling pot of water for 35 minutes (for the 1/2 and 1 pint jars).
7. Remove from the boiling water and allow to cool for a day.
Left: Black Russian, Right: Golden Sunburst and Djena Lee’s Golden Girl
6 Comments
Mel
ooo ooo I am in a canning class and we JUST did tomato sauce yesterday! I would love to come and get some tomatoes and share some recipes with you!
Paige Puckett
I've got about 10 ripe ones on the counter and 10 more in a bag. Come on over.
regan
ooh! me too! our sungolds are ripening just fine. but my slicing/sauce tomatoes are just as green as can be. i think the cucumber and tomatillo are shading them too much. i am so ready for a bite of red ripe tomato!
and i would love to learn how to can if you ladies would like to share your knowledge? 🙂
Mama Goose
If I bring jars and watch kids and provide support food, can I get some canned tomatoes? I'm worried I'll not be very good at this.
Kristina
I've got 3 cherry tomato plants, and 6 roma tomato plants (plus a couple of puny ones that are refusing to grow!). I can't wait until I'm overloaded with them! I plan to can them too – diced, salsa, sauce. My mom is going to come up and help me out with that when the time comes!
Paige Puckett
Amy, turns out I may have some ripe ones by Thursday. We'll see. Want the kiddie pool out?
Kristina, have a great time with your mom! Canning ended up being easier than I expected, and that is without all the equipment typically used.