Safe Home Canning of Fruits, Vegetables and Meats

Section 3

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Tomatoes

Tomato Juice
Tomatoes, Whole or Halved, Packed Raw without added Liquid

Tomatoes, Raw Pack, Water Bath Process
Tomatoes, Raw Pack, Pressure Process

General-USDA Methods

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Quality: Select only disease-free, preferably vine-ripened, firm fruit for canning. Caution: Do not can tomatoes from dead or frost-killed vines. Green tomatoes are more acidic than ripened fruit and can be canned safely with any of the following recommendations. Unfortunately, a few varieties may have insufficient acidity. These include Ace, Ace55VF, Beefmaster Hybrid, Big Early Hybrid, Big Girl, Big Set, Burpee VF Hybrid, Cal Ace, Delicious, Fireball, Garden State, Royal Chico, and San Marzano. Individuals using varieties which they have not canned previously or which have unknown acidity or who wish to be certain of proper acidity may choose the following method.

Acidification: To ensure safe acidity in whole, crushed, or juiced tomatoes, add two tablespoons of bottled lemon juice or ½ teaspoon of citric acid per quart of tomatoes. For pints, use one tablespoon bottled lemon juice or ¼ teaspoon citric acid. Acid can be added directly to the jars before filling with product. Add sugar to offset acid taste, if desired. Four tablespoons of vinegar with 5 percent acidity per quart maybe used instead of lemon juice or citric acid. However, vinegar may cause undesirable flavor changes. Recommendation: According to USDA, the use of a pressure canner will result in higher quality and more nutritious canned tomato products.

Following are selected tomato methods. For additional methods, please refer to University of Minnesota Extension Service publications, Home Canning Tomatoes, FO-1097 and Tomato Products. FO-3470

TOMATO JUICE

Quantity: An average of 23 pounds is needed per canner load of 7 quarts, or an average of 14 pounds per canner load of 9 pints. A bushel weighs 53 pounds and yields 15 to 18 quarts of juice—an average of 3¼ pounds per quart.

Procedure: Wash, remove stems, and trim off bruised or discolored portions. To prevent juice from separating, quickly cut about 1 pound of fruit into quarters and put directly into saucepan. Heat immediately to boiling while crushing. Continue to slowly add and crush freshly cut tomato quarters to the boiling mixture. Make sure the mixture boils constantly and vigorously while you add the remaining tomatoes. Simmer 5 minutes after you add all pieces. If you are not concerned about juice separation, simply slice or quarter tomatoes into a large saucepan. Crush, heat, and simmer for 5 minutes before juicing.

Press both types of heated juice through a sieve or food-mill to remove skins and seeds. Add bottled lemon juice or citric acid to jars. For additional acidification instructions, see Section 1, The Basics. Heat juice again to boiling. Add 1 teaspoon of salt per quart to the jars, if desired. Fill jars with hot tomato juice, leaving ½ inch headspace. Adjust lids and process.

1. Boiling-Water Bath Pints—40 minutes
   Quarts—45 minutes

2. Dial-gauge Pressure Canner
   Pints or Quarts—20 minutes 6 PSI or 15 minutes 11 PSI

3. Weighted-gauge Pressure Canner
   

   Pints or Quarts—20 minutes 10 PSI or 15 minutes 15 PSI 2

Quantity: An average of 21 pounds is needed per canner load of 7 quarts; an average of 13 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints. A bushel weighs 53 pounds and yields 15 to 21 quarts—an average of 3 pounds per quart.

Procedure: Wash tomatoes. Dip in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds or until skins split, then dip in cold water. Slip off skins and remove cores. Leave whole or halve. Add bottled lemon juice or citric acid to the jars. See acidification instructions in Section 1, The Basics. 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. Adjust lids and process.

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The following methods were developed at the University of Minnesota and have been used successfully for many years to can slightly underripe to ripe tomatoes. Do not use tomatoes which are overripe, decaying, of uncertain acid content, or which do not release enough liquid on packing to cover tomatoes.

Raw Pack: Water Bath Process
Wash tomatoes and dip into boiling water for 30 seconds. Plunge into cold water. Drain, peel, and core. Leave tomatoes whole or cut into halves. Pack tomatoes into jars, pressing down with a spoon. Do not add water. Remove air pockets with a spatula or knife. If desired add 1 teaspoon salt to each quart or ½ teaspoon salt to each pint. Leave ½ inch headspace. Wipe jar rims with clean cloth. Adjust lids and process.
Recommended Process
Boiling-Water Bath
Pints—40 minutes Quarts—50 minutes

Note: Processing time may be reduced 5 minutes for each size container by hot packing. Follow this basic procedure but bring the tomatoes to a boil, then quickly pack into jars leaving ½ inch headspace, adjust lids and process. Do not reduce processing time if processing below 1000 feet.

Raw Pack: Pressure Process
Pack the tomatoes as described in Raw Pack: Water Bath Process. Place the jars in a pressure canner which contains 2 to 3 inches of boiling water. Lock the lid into closed position. Put the burner on high. After a steady column of steam has escaped from the vent for approximately 10 minutes, put on the pressure regulator or weighted-gauge. When the dial-gauge or weighted-gauge indicates the pressure has stabilized at 15 pounds (approximately 2 minutes), turn off the heat and allow the pressure to return to 0 pounds. If using an electric range, remove canner from burner. Remove the pressure regulator or weighted-gauge. After 10 minutes, unlock the lid and remove canner cover.

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