Late Summer and Fall is a busy time for gardeners. Many of the vegetables that took so much time to plant in the spring ripen this time of year. There is limited time to eat or preserve everything that comes available in the garden.
This year the tomatoes did the best by far. The tomato is a very versatile fruit. (Yes, tomatoes are a fruit). We use this in pasta sauces, salsas, pizza, ketchup, and soups. However, the tomato does not have a long shelf life. The picked ripe garden tomato has an even shorter life. Even in the refrigerator mine last maybe a week or a little more.
So, what can we do to make the most of all the work to grow these? We CAN them! Most tomato recipies can be canned with a simple water bath canner. There is no need to use a pressure cooker since the recipies have a high acid content.
Canning does require some supplies (most of which are reusable) and a bit of time. Here is a list of the supplies needed:
Large pot to fit all jars with seals and still have water over the jars
Medium pots for sterilizations
Canning jars
Canning rings
New canning lids
Canning utensil kit – this could be optional but having the correct tools is really good.
Strainer – depending on the recipe
Tomatoes (clean)
Canning mix packet or spices to add
Lemon juice – may be required for some recipes
Kitchen scale – the tomatoes do not care if it is expensive as long as it is accurate
The first step is to wash sterilize the canning jars, lids, and rings. I always use a new canning lid. The wax seal under the lid may fail if the lid is used more than once. I sterilize all three by boiling them in water for 15 minutes.
This year the tomatoes did the best by far. The tomato is a very versatile fruit. (Yes, tomatoes are a fruit). We use this in pasta sauces, salsas, pizza, ketchup, and soups. However, the tomato does not have a long shelf life. The picked ripe garden tomato has an even shorter life. Even in the refrigerator mine last maybe a week or a little more.
So, what can we do to make the most of all the work to grow these? We CAN them! Most tomato recipies can be canned with a simple water bath canner. There is no need to use a pressure cooker since the recipies have a high acid content.
Canning does require some supplies (most of which are reusable) and a bit of time. Here is a list of the supplies needed:
Large pot to fit all jars with seals and still have water over the jars
Medium pots for sterilizations
Canning jars
Canning rings
New canning lids
Canning utensil kit – this could be optional but having the correct tools is really good.
Strainer – depending on the recipe
Tomatoes (clean)
Canning mix packet or spices to add
Lemon juice – may be required for some recipes
Kitchen scale – the tomatoes do not care if it is expensive as long as it is accurate
The first step is to wash sterilize the canning jars, lids, and rings. I always use a new canning lid. The wax seal under the lid may fail if the lid is used more than once. I sterilize all three by boiling them in water for 15 minutes.
Next I began to weigh and process the tomatoes. I had canning packets for Salsa and I was following a recipe for tomato sauce. Each recipe requires a certain weight of tomatoes. For this I just use a cheap kitchen scale.
For Salsa I blanch the tomatoes to remove the skin. This works very well. The tomato sits for a few minutes in some boiling water and then it gets cooled off in some ice. The skin falls off. From there I just followed the directions on the packet of salsa canning mix.
For tomato sauce I used a recipe I found online.
The recipe and directions I used was found at www.pickyourown.org
This website has great directions and pictures to help anyone looking to preserving their own food.
Next I packed the jars, fitted the lids and bands, and put them in the boiling water bath. The length of time depends on altitude. I use 15 minutes since I am at a fairly low altitude. These are the half pint jars of tomato sauce in the water bath.
The recipe and directions I used was found at www.pickyourown.org
This website has great directions and pictures to help anyone looking to preserving their own food.
Next I packed the jars, fitted the lids and bands, and put them in the boiling water bath. The length of time depends on altitude. I use 15 minutes since I am at a fairly low altitude. These are the half pint jars of tomato sauce in the water bath.
After the bath is complete, I removed the jars and let them cool on the counter. I checked them regularly to tighten the bands. Once they were cool I wrote the date I canned them on the top. This is a pint jar of salsa. I used Ball Regular Mouth jars.
RSS Feed
