A water bath canner is most often used when preserving tomatoes, but did you know you can also use your pressure canner?
Preserving Tomatoes
Courtesy of colleenrn71
All tomato varieties can be expected to yield heavily, which makes canning tomatoes so important when they are ready. The tomato is one vegetable that definitely pays you to grow!
The plants are easily cared for and vine ripe tomatoes are a delicious treat over store bought produce. Stores are supplied with crops that are harvested green and ripen during transit. In this way, the fruits reach ripeness without fully maturing.
Canning Tomato Sauce
To peel tomatoes easier, plunge them into boiling water for 1 minute or less. Rinse immediately in cold water. The skin will now strip off into large peels.
Home Canning Tomatoes
Courtesy of Silver Creek Garden
The following are tasty recipes for canning your garden tomatoes. Stewed tomatoes are economical to have on hand for making homemade stews, soups, chili, and pasta dishes.
Ever popular relishes provide flavorful ways to use small amounts of vegetables such as corn, cauliflower, and late season green tomatoes.
Stewed Tomatoes
6 large ripe tomatoes
1 diced green pepper
1 diced large onion
1 tablespoon fresh herbs such as basil or oregano
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
Salt/pepper to taste
Peel the tomatoes. Leave them whole, cut into halves, or quarters. Put them into a saucepan with onion, green pepper, herbs, and butter. Cover and simmer on low heat 10 minutes or until the tomatoes soften and produce their own juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Pack into canning jars and process in boiling water bath method for preserving tomatoes. Processing time is 10 minutes before storing. Home canning tomatoes in a boiling water bath is simply immersing filled and sealed jars in a deep pot of boiling water for a specified time. It is a safe way of preserving tomatoes.
Courtesy of These days in french gone by
Green Tomato Relish
4 quarts cored chopped green tomatoes
1 large head chopped cabbage
4 medium chopped sweet red peppers
4 ½ cups cider vinegar
3 large chopped onions
2 tablespoons mustard seed
1 tablespoon celery seed
½ cup salt
1 ½ cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon whole cloves
2 whole allspice
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
Sprinkle the salt over all the vegetables and let stand for 4 hours. Press in a colander and drain to remove liquid. Add the sugar, horseradish, and spice to the vinegar. Simmer for 15 minutes. Then add vegetables and heat to boiling. Pack immediately into hot canning jars. Allow a space of a half inch at the top of jars. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. This recipe yield is about 7 pints.
Canning Tomato Sauce
Courtesy of Meighan
Preserving tomatoes by putting up tomato sauces are economic ways to use your surplus produce. Any variety can be used but ‘Roma' is one of the best. After you making and canning basic tomato sauce, it can be used as a base for many flavored sauces. For the finest taste, use the freshest ingredients possible.
8 large fresh tomatoes, peeled and cored
2 cloves minced garlic
½ teaspoon sugar
1 bay leaf
1 large chopped onion
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped basil
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon oregano leaves
1/4 cup lemon juice
Salt/pepper to taste
Heat the olive oil. Add onion and garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring often. Add the tomatoes along with the other ingredients. Cook the tomato sauce uncovered at low heat for around 45 minutes, until it thickens.
Stir occasionally to prevent burning. Remove from heat and put through food processor to puree, if smooth texture is desired. This recipe for reserving tomatoes yields about 1 quart. Complete canning tomato sauce by processing in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes.
