Had a few ripe tomatoes on the counter. Ran some errands & got some great perennials to plant. On the way home, I ran by the lot & stopped to check how the veggies were doing. That was a very good move as I had lots of ripe tomatoes. Nice red Roma tomatoes that were begging to have something done with them.
Canning time again. If you have a garden, plant tomatoes & don’t can tomatoes, you should start. It’s a great way to save money through the years. The cost involved is just about non-existant after the first year when you buy your jars and a water bath canner. You have to buy new lids every year, a little salt, some lemon juice & that’s all you need if you grow your own tomatoes. You save money, have control over the quality of food you’re eating & have a wonderful sense of accomplishment when you finish.
Even getting started with jars doesn’t have to be a major expense if you’re lucky. Years ago, I bought a few dozen jars new. Then I started getting lucky. First I found some at a yard sale. Just check any you find that way very carefully. Check to make sure 1. they are canning jars & not mayonnaise jars, 2. that they don’t have any hairline cracks in them, and 3. that the lips of the jars are smooth. Chips in the lips of the jar will prevent the lids from sealing properly. A completely tight seal is important to keep the food from spoiling. Next, I managed to find some that were being given away. Now I have plenty of jars.
First thing you need to do is to thoroughly wash your jars & the water bath canner in hot soapy water. Take a medium-sized saucepan & fill it with water. While you wait for the water to start boiling, rinse your tomatoes very carefully. Next you’ll take a knife & cut the core out. Then fill your clean sink with cold water & add ice cubes to it. Once your water is boiling, add 5-6 tomatoes at a time to the boiling water. Leave them in for somewhere between 20-30 seconds. After you take them out of the water, immediately plunge them in the ice cold water in your sink. Now you’ll be able to easily peel the skin off the tomatoes. Put your new lids & clean rings in very hot water to soak.
Pack the tomatoes in your jars. You can use either pint jars or quart jars. I usually put some up in both. That way when I make spaghetti sauce I don’t have to open so many jars. Pack the tomatoes in tightly to within a half inch of the top of the jar. Add 1/2 teaspoonful of salt and 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice to the pint jars. You’ll need 1 teaspoonful of salt and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice for the quart jars. The lemon juice is to bring the ph of the tomatoes down to make sure they are acidic enough for a water bath instead of a pressure canner.
You are now ready to carefully remove a lid & ring from the hot water for each jar of tomatoes you have. Carefully place the lid on the jar without touching the inside of the lid. Center the lid. Next slide a ring on & gently tighten it. Using your canning tongs, pick up your jars & carefully place them in the hot water. If your water bath canner doesn’t have a rack to put inside it, you can line lids on the bottom of it. Do not let the jars touch each other, or the side or bottom of the canner. Make sure the water covers the tops of the jars by at least an inch. Set your timer for 35 minutes for pint jars and 45 minutes for quart jars.
Check occasionally to make sure the water stays over the lids by an inch. When the timer goes off, use your canning tongs to carefully remove the jars from the water bath & gently place on a towel spread out on the counter. To help prevent an accident, I usually have my hand in a hot mitt or with a double wrapped towel under the jar. After placing the jars gently, listen for the distinctive POP that the lid will make when it seals the jar. I count them. Even if I’m in the next room, I can almost always hear them.The lids will pop from almost immediately to possibly hours later. If I lose count, I check them by pressing gently in the middle of the lid. If it has sealed properly, there will be no give to it.
When using my own tomatoes, I am normally doing 2-4 pints at a time. Occasionally I have found a great bargain at the farmer’s market & have canned several dozen pints at a time. Either way, the pride will be great when you have these colorful jewels just waiting to be added to your soup, chili or spaghetti sauce.
Tags: canning, ripe tomatoes, roma tomatoes, tomatoes, water bath canner