Canning Tomatoes

With the abundance of tomatoes from our garden, I canned tomatoes for the first time this summer! I have always wanted to, but thought that I needed a pressure cooker for tomatoes, and I only have a hot water bath canner. After reading through the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving, however, I realized that I was mistaken. I gave it a try, and it's really easy! I was able to process one batch (10 pints) in just a couple hours, doing other things during the 40 minutes they were boiling.


I even felt the freedom to forego some of the instructions and just do what was easiest. I did not blanche the tomatoes first (as recommended in the book, for ease in peeling the skins off) because I did not take the skins off. I didn't even cook them. I just cut them up and plopped the pieces into a pan with a tiny bit of water to warm them up a little. Then I spooned them into warm jars. As with all canning, it is very important that the jars, lids, and food and/or liquid going into the jars is all warm, or the lids may not seal properly. Here are some of the jars keeping hot in a kettle of simmering water.


Before spooning the tomatoes into the jars, I added 1 T of vinegar to each jar. This increases the acidity of the tomatoes. If the acid content is too low, they will not preserve well by this hot water bath method. Foods that are naturally low in acid must have their acidity increased for the hot water bath method, or canned using a pressure cooker. For increasing acidity you can use either 1 T of vinegar or 1 T of bottled lemon juice (not fresh) per pint jar. If you are using quart jars, increase this amount to 2 T.

Then I added the tomatoes and poured some of the juicy water that the tomatoes were keeping warm in, over the tomatoes to within 1/2 inch of the top of the jar. Next I added 1/2 tsp of salt to each jar (this is optional).


I put the jars into my large canning kettle, brought it to a boil, covered the kettle and let them boil for 40 minutes.

Voila!


I was not happy with all the liquid at the bottom of the jars. Obviously I could have packed them a little tighter with tomatoes. But all in all I was pleased with how easy this was and I can't wait to add jars of our own garden-fresh tomatoes to some soup recipes this winter!

Canning Peaches

Don't those jars of golden peaches look so yummy??!

I will confess that I am not a canning expert, and by myself I have only ever canned peaches. I don't own a pressure cooker, so all my canning must be done by hot water bath, and peaches is perfect for this method. So every fall for several years, I have canned peaches.

Though I don't know much, what I do know I freely share! :-)

The key to successful water bath canning is that everything be hot. The liquid you pour into the jars, the lids and rings, and the water for the "bath". Everything needs to be hot so that the lids will seal properly. In all my years of canning peaches I have never once had a jar not seal, though some took a few hours to seal completely. To start, fill a 2 or 3 quart pan with water, lids and rings, and begin heating. Also begin heating a large pot of water with a small amount of sugar added. I fill an 8 quart stock pot nearly full and add only about 1/2 cup of sugar (I am very light on the sugar). This will become your peach juice after you pour it over the peaches. And also fill a large water bath canning pot about half full of water and begin heating that as well. Then soak the peaches in warm water. This makes the skins peel off easily.


After you have peeled and halved the peaches, you'll have a bunch of jars lined up like the picture below. Behind them you can see a small pot on the back burner filled to overflowing with lids and rings, and the stockpot on the front burner. Dip a pyrex measuring cup (or whatever you want to use) into the stock pot of sugar water and pour some into each jar, leaving only 1/4 inch of air at the top.


Immediately take a lid and ring out of their pot with a set of tongs and cover each jar. Place them into the rack inside your large canning pot. My rack holds 7 quart jars at once.


Lower the rack into the hot water (use hotpads!!), cover, and bring to a boil. Once you have a nice rolling boil, let boil for 20 minutes. When the time is up, bring the rack back up and hook over the tops of the pan so it's easier to get each jar out. Using canning jar tongs, take each jar out of the rack and set on a cooling rack (or a bunch of towels) to cool. The lids don't all seal at once, so don't be discouraged if you can depress the lid right after the water bath. Let them sit over night and try again the next morning. If the lid still depresses, refrigerate that jar and eat the peaches within the week. If not, store them in a cool, dark place and eat throughout the winter!