How to Can Tomatoes: Step-by-Step Guide for Preservation
Learn how to can tomatoes safely and easily with step-by-step directions. If you have an abundance of homegrown tomatoes, it’s a great way to enjoy the essence of summer all year long!
Ingredients
- 3 pounds tomatoes approximately, per quart
- 2 tablespoons Lemon Juice per quart
- ½ - 1 teaspoon salt optional, per quart
Instructions
For canning whole or halved tomatoes (hot pack method):
- Begin by filling the canner halfway with water and preheating
- Blanch and peel the tomatoes
- Leave tomatoes whole or halve them
- Put prepared tomatoes in a large saucepan and add just enough water to cover them. Boil tomatoes gently for 5 minutes.
- Add bottled lemon juice or citric acid to jars
- Add ½ - 1 teaspoon of salt per quart to the jars, if desired
- Fill jars with tomatoes leaving ½-inch headspace. Add cooking liquid to the jars to cover the tomatoes, leaving ½-inch headspace.
- Remove air bubbles by running a plastic knife around inside of jar
- Wipe rim of jars clean. Put on the lids and screw on the bands
- Place jars in canner and add additional water to cover the jars by 1-2 inches.
- Cover the pot and bring to a boil.
- Process the tomatoes for 45 minutes for quarts, adding additional time for your altitude (see below). Start timing once it begins boiling.
- Transfer the jars with the tongs to a kitchen towel or rack and cool completely, about 12-24 hours.
- After cooling, check the lids for a proper seal. Press the middle of the lid with a finger or thumb. If the lid springs up when you release your finger, the lid is unsealed.
- Label the jars with contents and date. Tomatoes keep their optimum quality for 1 year.
Notes
*If canning pints, use 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice
*Citric acid may be used instead of bottled lemon juice. Use ½ teaspoon per quart or ¼ teaspoon per pint
If you are at a higher altitude, increase the processing time by the following amounts:
For whole or halved tomatoes packed in water - raw pack:
· Leave tomatoes whole or halve them · Add bottled lemon juice or citric acid to jars · Add 1 teaspoon of salt per quart to the jars, if desired · Heat water, for packing tomatoes, to boiling. Fill hot jars with prepared raw tomatoes, leaving ½-inch headspace. Cover tomatoes in the jars with boiling water, leaving ½-inch headspace.
For whole or halved tomatoes packed in tomato juice - raw pack or hot pack:
· Leave tomatoes whole or halve them · Add bottled lemon juice or citric acid to jars · Add 1 teaspoon of salt per quart to the jars, if desired · Raw pack – Heat tomato juice in a saucepan. Fill jars with raw tomatoes, leaving ½-inch headspace. Cover tomatoes in the jars with hot tomato juice, leaving ½-inch headspace. · Hot pack – Put tomatoes in a large saucepan and add enough tomato juice to completely cover them. Boil tomatoes and juice gently for 5 minutes. Fill jars with hot tomatoes, leaving ½-inch headspace. Add hot tomato juice to the jars to cover the tomatoes, leaving ½-inch headspace.
For whole or halved tomatoes packed raw without added liquid:
· Leave tomatoes whole or halve them · Add bottled lemon juice or citric acid to jars · Add 1 teaspoon of salt per quart to the jars, if desired · Fill jars with raw tomatoes, leaving ½-inch headspace. Press tomatoes in the jars until spaces between them fill with juice. Leave ½-inch headspace.
For crushed tomatoes with no added liquid:
· Remove cores and quarter · Heat one-sixth of the quarters quickly in a large pot, crushing them with a wooden mallet or spoon as they are added to the pot. This will exude juice. Continue heating the tomatoes, stirring to prevent burning. Once the tomatoes are boiling, gradually add remaining quartered tomatoes, stirring constantly These remaining tomatoes do not need to be crushed. They will soften with heating and stirring. Continue until all tomatoes are added. Then boil gently 5 minutes. · Add bottled lemon juice or citric acid to jars · Add 1 teaspoon of salt per quart to the jars, if desired · Fill jars immediately with hot tomatoes, leaving ½-inch headspace.Nutrition
Calories: 252kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 12gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0.4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.4gSodium: 1231mgPotassium: 3256mgFiber: 16gSugar: 37gVitamin A: 11337IUVitamin C: 198mgCalcium: 139mgIron: 4mg
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