soupnancy

Tomato Q&A

Been reading your blog and thought you could perhaps lead me in the right direction in terms of 'canning'  40lbs of tomatoes from my greenhouse.
Most are still green and I have rolled most of them in newspaper to rippen.  The others I have set on the window sill.  When enough red ones are ready I stew them (peeled) with some fresh herbs, thyme and basil usually, some onion and green peppers.  I then put them in mason jars and stick them in the freezer.
Ok so you're probably going 'Deb, Deb, Deb, get with the program woman.'    Can you help me Nance?
I appreciate it.
Good shroom hunting.

Hi Debbie,

What you're doing sounds fine if you have the freezer space, and plan on going through it in a matter of a few monthes.  Since I do hundreds of pounds, I can them.  Plus I love the look of mason jars in the dining room, on the counter and in the cupboards; they make good hostess gifts too.  I make tomato sauce because that's what I eat, and it allows for swifter processing.  Many people put up whole tomatoes or tomato purée which is more versatile. The thing is, the product needs to have sufficient sweetness, salt and acidity, as well as be processed properly in order to successfully seal, which is why those kind of recipes require salt, lemon juice or vinegar and some heat processing.  A sauce is cooked, naturally more concentrated (more salty, sweet and acidic) than pure tomatoes. 

Anyway, what I do is:
Wash, peel and seed tomatoes (at least half - a few seeds never hurt anybody).
Make tomato sauce with onions, garlic, herbs & spices, wine, etc, reducing down. I finish it with fresh basil, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, a pinch of sugar (depending on tomatoes).. 
Meanwhile, I put the clean mason jars through the dishwasher rinse cycle, then line them up on a baking tray in a 200F oven for at least 30min.  I put the caps in a pot of boiling water.
I set up my station, making sure I have clean tongs, a funnel, towels etc., then pull out the jars one or two at a time so everything is boiling hot, fill them up with hot sauce, wipe the rim and seal with a top and screwcap (don't screw in tight until after the seal has 'popped').  An assembly line for this is best.
Then I set the jars aside and wait til I hear the magical popping sound of success as they cool and naturally seal.  At this point, the ones that no longer have a nipple (now a sunken dimple) can be secured tight.  The ones that don't' I put in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes, remove and wait for the pop. 
So far, thousands of pots later, I haven't had one faulty jar (knock wood).
Hope that helps, happy canning!
Nance