|
Canning
Tomatoes
Home-canned
tomatoes bring a garden-fresh taste to soups, stews,
chilies, and
spaghetti sauces all year long.
For each
quart of canned tomatoes, you will need 2-1/2 to 3-1/2
pounds fresh
tomatoes. Choose unblemished tomatoes for canning
and wash well in cold
water.
20-24 lb.
tomatoes (allow 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 lb. tomatoes per qt.)
1 T. lemon juice (pint jar) 2 T. lemon juice (qt. jar)
Peeling
Tomatoes
Wash firm
unblemished tomatoes. To remove the skins, dip tomatoes
in boiling water
for 30 seconds or until the skins start to split.
Immediately place the
tomatoes in cold water. When cool enough to
handle, remove the skin and
core with a paring knife. If you like cut the
tomatoes in half. Be sure
to save any juices.
Filling jars
with tomatoes
Place a
wide-mouth funnel in a hot, clean pint or quart canning jar.
Ladle whole
or halved tomatoes into the jars along with any juices
from preparing
the tomatoes. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice to each
pint jar or 2
tablespoons lemon juice to each quart jar. The lemon juice
raises the
acidity of the tomatoes to ensure safe canning. Add boiling
water,
leaving 1/2-inch headspace.
Sealing jars
Remove the
funnel; wipe the jar rim with a clean, damp towel to
remove all traces
of food. Food on the rim prevents a perfect seal.
Position the prepared
lid and screw band on the jar and tighten
according to the
manufacturer's instructions. Set each jar into the
canner as it is
filled. The jars should not touch. Cover the canner. You
will need to
process the tomatoes in a boiling-water canner for 40
minutes for pints
and 45 minutes for quarts. Begin timing when the
water returns to
boiling.
Checking the
seal
When the
jars have cooled, press the center of each lid to check the
seal. If the
dip in the lid holds, the jar is sealed. If the lid bounces up
and down,
the jar isn't sealed. Unsealed jars should be stored in the
refrigerator
and used within 3 days, or you can reprocess the
tomatoes within 24
hours. Label the jars with contents and date. Your
tomatoes with keep
their optimum quality for 1 year.
from: Better
Homes & Gardens |