Canning Tomatoes

The garden yielded another big bag of tomatoes last night and finally there was no option left but to can them. Canning itself is fun. The hard thing was enduring a trip to Walmart to get lids. Finally the second person I asked led me to the lids and jars.

The process is pretty simple. The ripest tomatoes are selected and rinsed. The jars are boiled and sanitized either in the canner or the dishwasher. The tomatoes are scalded to loosen the skin. We use a basket from a deep fat fryer to dip the tomatoes in water and then dump them in a bowl of ice. The stem area is cut out and the peel slips right off. 3 or 4 clean leaves of basil are placed in the bottom of each jar. The tomatoes are stuffed in and pressed down using a special funnel.

A little salt is added and hot water if necessary to bring the level of the liquid in the jar to the neck. A knife or a spoon is worked around in the jar to release the bubbles. The neck of the jar is carefully wiped clean and a lid and a ring are placed on the jar. The jars are then placed in a canner where the water is already boiling. The lid is put on and the jars are left for 5 to 10 minutes. Pressure is not necessary. At the end of the process the jars are lifted out and placed on a towel. The music of popping lids follows.

Count the pops. If a lid does not seal properly you can manipulate it and make a popping noise with your fingers. These jars can be re-canned or refrigerated. We only had one that did not seal last night, so it will go in the fridge and be used in the next dish where tomatoes fit.



David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/