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Title: Canning about 25-35lbs of tomatoes Wed. (First try with tomatoes)..... Post by: GreggO on July 27, 2011, 03:16:17 EDT Any suggestions or tips? I have canned and have the equiptment and have no fear of that, but I have never done this fruit. I will be making a simple sauce, no frills. My neighbor has a huge garden and she has given me so much that I want to do some of the work for Mrs. Nipper. I'll be putting up pints as she, her brother (he kicked in) and I are all single and we've agreed there is no need to do quarts and we all want to season to our own tastes. The only seasoning I will do is sea salt, pepper and seared beef thigh bones (I will resist using the last of my fresh thyme, except a sprig in my jars!). So, I will heat, shock and skin; drain and remove the seeds (reserving some juice for Mrs. Nipper); cook the tomatoes to thicken; and put in the Ball jars. I'm sure I will have more opportunities to do diced, whole, and paste as the season wears on if I gain some respect here with my neighbor. Nope, don't have a pressure cooker and I'll use a 21qt Dutch oven (non-reactive, lid off as to thicken) to slow cook the moisture out. But, if anyone wants to interject or give a needed lesson, (Iris, Irissssss......... Oh, Iris?) jump right in! Thank you and I will bring some to one of the Fabulous Emeril Tailgate Extravaganzas this fall. GreggO Title: Re: Canning about 25-35lbs of tomatoes Wed. (First try with tomatoes)..... Post by: tnflower on July 27, 2011, 02:24:30 EDT When I do maters for sauce, I don't skin them. I used to, but a visitor told me to try a batch by just washing, coring and putting in the food processor. It came out great, and now I don't do it any other way (sooooo much easier) and when you are using your sauce, you can't tell there are peelings. I use a big roaster with water about 3/4 of the way, heat my jars in it on med heat while the sauce is cooking down, then when jars are filled, I stand them up, turn the heat to high and let them stay in there for at least 10 minutes or longer. Never had one fail yet.
I don't put any seasoning in the jars, not even canning salt, cause I use it for different things and sometimes I use different seasonings. Oh yeah, forgot to add that my Dad gave me a huge stainless steel pot, it's thicker than my roaster. I do all my cooking in that. I do core and skin the maters I'm using for salsa. It takes a lot longer, but I can't find a short cut around that. Always wear plastic gloves when you are cutting up the hot peppers. Trust me on this one. I use bell peppers, hot peppers, garlic and canning salt when I put up salsa. |