You Can, Can Tomato’s – It’s Easy

Preparing and Canning Tomatoes Select only disease free, vine-ripened, tomato’s for canning.

Acidification – to ensure safe acidity in whole, crushed, or juiced tomatoes, add two tablespoons of bottled lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid per quart of tomatoes.
For pints, use one tablespoon bottled lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon citric acid. Acid can be added directly to the jars before filling with product.
Four tablespoons of a 5 percent acidity vinegar per quart may be used instead of lemon juice or citric acid.
You may want add a small amount sugar to offset acid taste.

An average of 21 pounds is needed for 7 quarts or about 13 pounds is needed for 9 pints. A bushel weighs 53 pounds and yields 15 to 21 quarts.

Wash tomatoes. Dip in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds or until skins split. Dip in cold water. Slip off skins and remove cores. Leave whole or halve. Add bottled lemon juice, vinegar or citric acid to jars. {Optional} Add 1 teaspoon of salt per quart to the jars.

Raw pack 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.

Hot pack Put prepared tomatoes in a large saucepan and add enough water to completely cover them. Boil tomatoes gently for 5 minutes. Fill hot jars with hot tomatoes leaving ½-inch headspace. Add cooking liquid to the jars to cover the tomatoes, leaving ½-inch headspace.

Table 1. Recommended process time for water-packed Whole or Halved Tomatoes in a boiling-water canner.
		Process Time at Altitudes of
Style of Pack	Jar Size	0 – 1,000 ft	1,001 – 3,000 ft	3,001 – 6,000 ft	Above 6,000 ft
Hot & Raw	Pints	40 min	45	50	55
	Quarts	45	50	55	60

Table 2. Recommended process time for water-packed Whole or Halved Tomatoes in a dial-gauge pressure canner
			Canner Gauge Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of
Style of Pack	Jar Size	Process Time	0 – 2,000 ft	2,001 – 4,000 ft	4,001 – 6,000 ft	6,001 – 8,000 ft
Hot & Raw	Pints or Quarts	15 min	6 lb	7 lb	8 lb	9 lb
		10	11	12	13	14

Table 3. Recommended process time for water-packed Whole or Halved Tomatoes in a weighted-gauge pressure canner.
			Canner Gauge Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes
Style of Pack	Jar Size	Process Time	0 – 1,000 ft	Above 1,000 ft
Hot & Raw	Pints or Quarts	15 min	5 lb	10 lb
		10	10	15

Hint Add a bit of spice to your life. Before packing jars with tomato’s, add a spoon full of finely chopped onion, garlic oregano, basel, pepper (hot or mild chili peppers) or other spices you like.

It really is just that easy.

Freezing Tomato’s is even faster and easy to do.
Wash tomato’s. Dry and pack in freezer bags. Hint After thawing frozen tomato’s the skin will slip off.

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