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TOMATO CANNING DAY
07/03/19 — Ada Broussard
By Megan Winfrey
I'm talkin' tomatoes this week, specifically the preservation of that sweet, juicy, summer goodness. I hope many of you took part in the JBG bulk tomato sale! (JBG HERE.. ATTENTION: THIS SUNDAY 7/7 IS THE VERY LAST DAY TO ORDER BULK TOMATOES!) I actually wish I'd grabbed an extra 20 lbs. because it's like you blink and the season is over! It is a relatively short season, especially when mother nature decides to interfere. And when the bounty strikes, the race to ingest all of the tomatoes before their delicate bodies start to break down can feel overwhelming (and all that acidity can cause reflux). That's why it's so worth it to set aside a day to preserve your bulk tomatoes, which is time consuming but not at all difficult. Whatever you choose to make, and there are many many many methods to choose from, only a few tools and ingredients are needed.
You'll be all set for a relaxing day of caning once you've prepped the supplies, picked a good playlist, and poured some coffee or tea. I sincerely hope that no household disasters interfere with your kitchen serenity such as, I dunno, the washing machine spewing water all over the laundry room and flooding it....twice. That would majorly suck, which I know because that's exactly how my canning day went. Tomatoes bubbling away on the stove while I'm shoved between the wall and the washer trying desperately to catch at least some of the water in a waste basket. The day had a happy ending though. When the repair guy told me to wait for my husband to get home because "it takes a good bit of upper body strength to push the drain hose back on" - to which I said OH, HELL NO and did it myself. It took several tries and a second flood but I did it. And finished the canning. Take that, repair guy.
If you're sticking to basic canned tomatoes, the only other ingredient you need is bottled lemon juice. Experts recommend using the bottled stuff because it has a consistent amount of acid which will ensure a shelf stable product. You'll need added spices for things like jam and marinara, which you probably already have on hand.
After eating plenty of fresh 'maters with salt and pepper, my 10 lbs. of San Marzanos and 10 lbs. of home growns yielded: 3 quarts whole tomatoes 2 pints puree (+ some extra in the fridge for immediate use) 2 pints marinara 1 half pint jam (+ some extra in the fridge)
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Spoils of labor. (Left to right) tomato purée, marinara, tomato jam, and whole tomatoes.
For the whole canned tomatoes, I'll reference my tutorial from a few summers ago.
Tomato puree is a bit more involved, but SO worth it for that velvety smooth texture and bright flavor. Start by rough chopping your tomatoes, about 1 1/2 pounds per pint jar. Add all of the tomatoes to a large pot and bring to a boil. As they cook, they will release juices that act as a cooking liquid. Once they get nice and juicy, reduce to a simmer and cook until the tomatoes have broken down and are completely immersed in liquid. I don't have a food mill so I cooked mine for about 30 minutes, stirring and mashing frequently, then whirled it in the blender. If you do have a mill, you can pull them off the heat sooner, let cool, then run through the mill to break up all the bigger bits. Once your tomato mixture is either blended or milled and then cooled, press it through a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl, working in batches. This will remove all of the skins and seeds, leaving a velvety puree. I used both my fist and a soft spatula to release every bit of juice possible - and don't forget to scrape the bottom of the sieve to remove the thick pulp that builds up. Give it a stir and if it looks watery, dump it back in your large pot and simmer until the texture is to your liking. This puree will stay good in the fridge for about a week and can also be frozen for up to 4 months. To can, add 1 tbs. bottled lemon juice to each hot jar. Pour in the puree leaving about an inch of air space, then top with lids and rings. Don't over tighten them! Fill a large stock pot with water and bring to a boil. Lower each jar into the water carefully, they should be covered by at least an inch of water, and let boil for 45 minutes. Remove with canning tongs and let cool at room temperature, listening for the lids to pop indicating their seal. If any of them don't seal, just stick in the fridge and use within a week.
Tomato jam is my JAM. I've been smearing it over goat cheese crackers and topping fried eggs with it like crazy. Not knowing where to begin, I followed this recipe, but tweaked it a bit of course. I reduced the sugar to just 1/4 cup and I'm so glad I did. I also subbed the fresh ginger for powdered ginger, and used red pepper flakes instead of jalapeno - I needed a few shortcuts for my sanity after the washing machine fiasco. The flavor came out incredible and I had to smack the spoon out of my husbands hand to keep him from eating it all right out of the saucepan. I scraped it into a half pint jar and added it to the canning bath for 45 minutes to seal the lid and make it shelf stable...except that I've already opened it up so you could probably skip that part unless you have multiple jars.
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Cored San Marzanos ready for the jam pot. I used a grapefruit spoon for easy coring!
Marinara is super simple and a great way to utilize those patio herbs. I made this last and used the San Marzanos I had left, about 2.5 lbs. Peeling the tomatoes is the most time consuming part of this recipe, but worth it. Start by bringing a pot of water to a boil. Cut an "X" into the bottom of each tomato with a sharp knife - this allows the skins to pucker and slide off easily. Once the water is boiling, drop in 3-4 tomatoes at a time for just a minute or two. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to an ice water back when you see the skin starting to peel back from the "X". Once you've par-boiled all of the tomatoes, peel each one and roughly chop.
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Peeling whole tomatoes for canning.
You'll need: 1 large onion, diced 4 garlic cloves, diced 2 fennel bulbs, diced 1 tsp. each dried basil, oregano, and thyme sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste 1 cup dry red wine peeled and chopped tomatoes handful of fresh herbs (basil, parsley, oregano), chopped
Saute the onion and fennel in a large pot over medium-high heat until they soften a bit. Add the garlic, dried herbs, salt, and pepper and cook until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and wine, stir to combine. Bring the sauce to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for at least an hour, stirring frequently to prevent burning or over thickening. Let cool, add the fresh herbs and transfer to a blender. Give it a good whirl until it reaches your desired consistency. This will keep in the fridge for about a week and can be frozen for up to 4 months. Transfer to hot jars and process in the canning bath for 45 minutes for a shelf stable product.
I'm talkin' tomatoes this week, specifically the preservation of that sweet, juicy, summer goodness. I hope many of you took part in the JBG bulk tomato sale! (JBG HERE.. ATTENTION: THIS SUNDAY 7/7 IS THE VERY LAST DAY TO ORDER BULK TOMATOES!) I actually wish I'd grabbed an extra 20 lbs. because it's like you blink and the season is over! It is a relatively short season, especially when mother nature decides to interfere. And when the bounty strikes, the race to ingest all of the tomatoes before their delicate bodies start to break down can feel overwhelming (and all that acidity can cause reflux). That's why it's so worth it to set aside a day to preserve your bulk tomatoes, which is time consuming but not at all difficult. Whatever you choose to make, and there are many many many methods to choose from, only a few tools and ingredients are needed.
You'll be all set for a relaxing day of caning once you've prepped the supplies, picked a good playlist, and poured some coffee or tea. I sincerely hope that no household disasters interfere with your kitchen serenity such as, I dunno, the washing machine spewing water all over the laundry room and flooding it....twice. That would majorly suck, which I know because that's exactly how my canning day went. Tomatoes bubbling away on the stove while I'm shoved between the wall and the washer trying desperately to catch at least some of the water in a waste basket. The day had a happy ending though. When the repair guy told me to wait for my husband to get home because "it takes a good bit of upper body strength to push the drain hose back on" - to which I said OH, HELL NO and did it myself. It took several tries and a second flood but I did it. And finished the canning. Take that, repair guy.
How To Have Your Own Tomato Canning Day :
It's essential to have everything prepped before you start cooking the tomatoes. Make sure that you have a clean stock pot or canning pot, plenty of jars and ring lids, and a set of canning tongs. To prep the jars, I load them into the dishwasher and run a sanitizing wash - which is much more convenient than boiling them. At the same time, I put the lids and rings into a saucepan, cover with water, and let them simmer on low for at least 10 minutes or until I'm ready for them. This sanitizes them and softens the rubber seal of the lid. Also, wash and dry all of the tomatoes that you'll be working with.If you're sticking to basic canned tomatoes, the only other ingredient you need is bottled lemon juice. Experts recommend using the bottled stuff because it has a consistent amount of acid which will ensure a shelf stable product. You'll need added spices for things like jam and marinara, which you probably already have on hand.
After eating plenty of fresh 'maters with salt and pepper, my 10 lbs. of San Marzanos and 10 lbs. of home growns yielded: 3 quarts whole tomatoes 2 pints puree (+ some extra in the fridge for immediate use) 2 pints marinara 1 half pint jam (+ some extra in the fridge)
Spoils of labor. (Left to right) tomato purée, marinara, tomato jam, and whole tomatoes.
For the whole canned tomatoes, I'll reference my tutorial from a few summers ago.
Tomato puree is a bit more involved, but SO worth it for that velvety smooth texture and bright flavor. Start by rough chopping your tomatoes, about 1 1/2 pounds per pint jar. Add all of the tomatoes to a large pot and bring to a boil. As they cook, they will release juices that act as a cooking liquid. Once they get nice and juicy, reduce to a simmer and cook until the tomatoes have broken down and are completely immersed in liquid. I don't have a food mill so I cooked mine for about 30 minutes, stirring and mashing frequently, then whirled it in the blender. If you do have a mill, you can pull them off the heat sooner, let cool, then run through the mill to break up all the bigger bits. Once your tomato mixture is either blended or milled and then cooled, press it through a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl, working in batches. This will remove all of the skins and seeds, leaving a velvety puree. I used both my fist and a soft spatula to release every bit of juice possible - and don't forget to scrape the bottom of the sieve to remove the thick pulp that builds up. Give it a stir and if it looks watery, dump it back in your large pot and simmer until the texture is to your liking. This puree will stay good in the fridge for about a week and can also be frozen for up to 4 months. To can, add 1 tbs. bottled lemon juice to each hot jar. Pour in the puree leaving about an inch of air space, then top with lids and rings. Don't over tighten them! Fill a large stock pot with water and bring to a boil. Lower each jar into the water carefully, they should be covered by at least an inch of water, and let boil for 45 minutes. Remove with canning tongs and let cool at room temperature, listening for the lids to pop indicating their seal. If any of them don't seal, just stick in the fridge and use within a week.
Tomato jam is my JAM. I've been smearing it over goat cheese crackers and topping fried eggs with it like crazy. Not knowing where to begin, I followed this recipe, but tweaked it a bit of course. I reduced the sugar to just 1/4 cup and I'm so glad I did. I also subbed the fresh ginger for powdered ginger, and used red pepper flakes instead of jalapeno - I needed a few shortcuts for my sanity after the washing machine fiasco. The flavor came out incredible and I had to smack the spoon out of my husbands hand to keep him from eating it all right out of the saucepan. I scraped it into a half pint jar and added it to the canning bath for 45 minutes to seal the lid and make it shelf stable...except that I've already opened it up so you could probably skip that part unless you have multiple jars.
Cored San Marzanos ready for the jam pot. I used a grapefruit spoon for easy coring!
Marinara is super simple and a great way to utilize those patio herbs. I made this last and used the San Marzanos I had left, about 2.5 lbs. Peeling the tomatoes is the most time consuming part of this recipe, but worth it. Start by bringing a pot of water to a boil. Cut an "X" into the bottom of each tomato with a sharp knife - this allows the skins to pucker and slide off easily. Once the water is boiling, drop in 3-4 tomatoes at a time for just a minute or two. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to an ice water back when you see the skin starting to peel back from the "X". Once you've par-boiled all of the tomatoes, peel each one and roughly chop.
Peeling whole tomatoes for canning.
You'll need: 1 large onion, diced 4 garlic cloves, diced 2 fennel bulbs, diced 1 tsp. each dried basil, oregano, and thyme sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste 1 cup dry red wine peeled and chopped tomatoes handful of fresh herbs (basil, parsley, oregano), chopped
Saute the onion and fennel in a large pot over medium-high heat until they soften a bit. Add the garlic, dried herbs, salt, and pepper and cook until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and wine, stir to combine. Bring the sauce to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for at least an hour, stirring frequently to prevent burning or over thickening. Let cool, add the fresh herbs and transfer to a blender. Give it a good whirl until it reaches your desired consistency. This will keep in the fridge for about a week and can be frozen for up to 4 months. Transfer to hot jars and process in the canning bath for 45 minutes for a shelf stable product.
