Canning 101: hot bath tomatoes

Can you can? Of course you can.

​

As the tomato harvest reaches it zenith, many of us are asking ourselves, What am I going to do with all of these? We know canning is an intimidating prospect, but a simple hot water bath method is an ideal way to preserve your tomatoes at the peak of their goodness. Here are simple instructions for a beginning canner.

(Note: canning is not like cooking in that the correct PH level is essential for food safety; you need to follow canning instructions to a T. If you add extra garlic or spice, you could throw off the PH balance and invite bacteria to your party. [Update, 1/2 to 1 cup of herbs, onions, garlic and pepper per 5 cups of tomatoes can be added per Ana Micka.]

Basic hot water processor

​

Use a hot water bath canner with a rack for best results. Jars touching each other or the bottom of the pot can crack. If you think you'll be doing a lot of canning, we recommend getting the tool kit, available at most grocery or hardware stores. These tools make it easier to keep all your materials sterile and avoid getting burned when removing jars from the hot water bath.

Canned cherry tomatoes

Pre-sterilize your jars (pints or quarts) by washing them in warm soapy water or the dishwasher, then covering them with warm water in a pot, bringing the water to a boil, and boiling for 10 minutes. Keep jars in hot water until ready to use.*These direction are for Minnesota's elevation. Different elevations will need to make time adjustments--consult a canning guide.

Sterlize your jars: Fill canner with enough water to cover jars completely. There should be 1 to 2 inches of water over the tops of jars and at least 1 to 2 inches of headspace in the canner above water. Bring water to a boil. Place lids in a small pot of water and bring to a simmer. Leave lids in pot until ready to use. You can reuse metal lid bands if they are not damaged, but always use a brand-new lid cap.

Prepare the tomatoes: Use only very fresh produce. Wash tomatoes. Place in boiling water long enough to loosen skins, dip into ice water, then peel. Leave large tomatoes whole or cut into quarters. Leave cherry tomatoes whole. Put tomatoes in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.

Pack tomatoes in jars: To ensure proper PH level, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon citric acid per pint, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon citric acid per quart to jar before adding tomatoes. Fill jars with hot tomatoes and liquid from pan to 1/2 inch from top of jar. Add extra boiling water to fill if your tomatoes did not have enough of their own juice. Run a sterile non-metallic utensil down the edge of your jar to free air bubbles--a plastic spoon or rubber scrapper work well. Wipe the rim of your jar with a sterile cloth (dip in boiling water) to remove any spilled food, then put lids and bands on the jars.

Boil:  Place jars on the rack of your processor or in the bottom of a pot right side up, making sure jars are not touching. There should be 1 to 2 inches of water above the jars. Boil pints for 40 minutes and quarts for 45 minutes. When processing time is complete, remove jars and place them on a folded towel to cool. Make sure the jars aren't touching--they'll cool faster if air can circulate around them. To make sure your jars are vacuum sealed, press your lids down in the center--if they stay down, your jar is properly sealed, if they pop back, reprocess the jar with a new lid, or place in the refrigerator and use within a few days, or freeze contents. Store jars in a cool, dry place.

Recipe from Preserving Summer's Bounty