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hothabanerolady

Tomato canning questions

HotHabaneroLady
9 years ago

So I'm planning to make my first attempt at canning tomatoes tomorrow. I have a hot water bath canner and do not own a pressure canner.

I've been looking at the various recipes listed at NCHFP and had two questions:

(1) Why remove the skins? That's where a lot of fiber and nutrients are found. Can I safely leave the skins on or must they be removed for safety!

(2) What recipe will best preserve the tomatoes without altering them? I recognize that taste, texture, etc. are going to be altered by canning them, but I'd like to preserve something as close as possible to what is growing on the vines--i.e. still somewhat tomato shaped and tasting as it did before.

I read somewhere that someone recommended the crushed tomatoes with no added liquid. That sounds like something I won't be able to go to in the winter unless I want to make a sauce. Have people had success with the whole or halved tomatoes with no additional liquid? Or am I just missing the boat?

Angie

Comments (18)

  • 2ajsmama
    9 years ago

    Whole or halved (or quartered, depending on size) tomatoes will be the closest to what you want, a hot pack will fit more tomatoes and have less floating than raw pack, but yes you should peel them since most of the bacteria/fungi etc. are on the skins, even if you wash them.

    What do you want to do with them this winter if not sauce?

  • digdirt2
    9 years ago

    but I'd like to preserve something as close as possible to what is growing on the vines--i.e. still somewhat tomato shaped and tasting as it did before.

    Then I'd suggest using the Whole or Halved packed in tomato juice instructions.

    Normally I don't recommend that method but it is the only one that will retail the shape.

    Crushed is the best for flavor but they are crushed obviously. When done in water the shape remains but the taste is diluted. When done as raw pack with no added liquid they retain some shape but are still smashed some to fit in the jars and get their juice to cover them.

    But no method is going to give them that "just picked off the vine" appearance.

    As for the skins, the guidelines say they need to be removed because of the bacteria count but some choose to leave them anyway. Most remove them because they don't stay on the fruit anyway after processing - 85 min. in the BWB does that. They separate and tend to form rolled-up tough chewy chunks in the tomatoes.

    Dave

  • HotHabaneroLady
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Ajsmama asks me:
    What do you want to do with them this winter if not sauce?

    &&&&&&&

    Tomatoes and habaneros are two things that I end up putting into lots of things. I make a beef stew over the winter that I put them in. They are pretty good in home made chicken soup. I also cook meats (especially fish and chicken) with tomatoes. And I don't want a tomato sauce base for those. I just want to put in a tomato. And even in spaghetti sauce, which has a tomato sauce base, I like to include tomatoes as well.

    Plus I also value flexibility. If I have tomatoes, I can make them into tomato sauce. But if I have tomato sauce, I can't turn them into tomatoes.

    I have about a bushel to work with right now. I will probably can about half, dry about half, and turn a small amount (like a half pint) of what I dry into powder. I use the powder as a seasoning.

    Angie

  • HotHabaneroLady
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you for that info, Dave, that helps a lot!

    Dave points out:
    But no method is going to give them that "just picked off the vine" appearance.

    &&&&&&&&&

    I'm obviously a beginner at food preservation, learning this year to dehydrate, can, and ferment. But this is really the big thing I wish for. I wish I could find a way to preserve something close to that "just picked off the vine" taste and appearance, especially for tomatoes. Even though habaneros are my overall favorite crop, the fact is that a fresh off the vine, delicious tomato may be the most satisfying single item of food that I know of. In fact, only a few of my home grown tomatoes even make it into the house because I end up harvesting them and standing next to the vine eating them! Habaneros usually at least make it inside! :)

    Angie

    This post was edited by HotHabaneroLady on Sat, Sep 6, 14 at 9:00

  • 2ajsmama
    9 years ago

    Well, no preserved tomato is going to be like eating a fresh one, but the whole canned tomatoes should go well in the stew, I use them in chili all the time (I've never used them in chicken soup). Maybe even salsa in a pinch, I would think the results would be like Annie's Salsa or another canned salsa if you make it with the canned tomatoes and don't process it further.

    I was asking b/c if you wanted them on sandwiches I'm working on a tomato "spread" with no-sugar pectin, though it's not like eating a slice of tomato it's not bad. So far I've tried 3 Tbsp of Ball no-sugar pectin to 4C of peeled chopped tomatoes, 1/2C of sugar, 4Tbsp lemon juice 1 Tbsp lime juice and darn I can't think but maybe 1/2tsp salt. Not bad, but was a little sweet and this last batch I used Black Krims so I cut the sugar to 1/4C. It hasn't set yet but I'll let you know how it is later this year.

  • malna
    9 years ago

    We've found (personal opinion only) that we like whole or halved tomatoes packed in tomato juice the best. We do have a pressure canner, though. They may be softer in the BWB, though - I've never tried it to compare.

    We add citric acid instead of lemon juice and some calcium chloride (Pickle Crisp) to each jar. It's the closest, we feel, we can get to commercially canned tomatoes. In the winter, we can slice them and eat them on sandwiches (mushy - yeah, a little. Tasty? You betcha when there aren't any fresh ones.), add to stew, chili, and lots of other recipes. If we don't use all the juice, we freeze it in small containers and add it to other recipes.

    Another canner load of 16 pints tomorrow and we'll have 72 pints on the shelf. We used to do quarts, but it's just the two of us, so we've tailored recipes to using pints. If we need more, just open another jar.

    We've canned "canning" tomatoes like Rutgers and JTD; some like Early Wonder and Steak Sandwich that aren't really "canning" tomatoes but work well, and some paste tomatoes like Opalka and Amish Paste. It's all good!

  • HotHabaneroLady
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I'm trying the tomatoes with no additional liquid for this first batch that is in the canner being processed right now. Despite the name, I did see that it calls for acidification with a liquid acid. I'm using lemon juice. I may try the tomatoes with tomato juice like Dave suggested for my next batch. We will see! I just couldn't imagine that packing them in their own juices wouldn't be the way to change the taste least, even if it does require some squishing. Plus I don't have any tomato juice at the moment and I didn't want to use some of the ones I have for juicing or use store bought tomato juice.

    The 85 minute processing time this requires is by far the longest processing time I have encountered so far!

  • HotHabaneroLady
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Well, I should have waited to make that post because it was just about at the end of the processing time. Now it's done and I may have my first canning problem. I just removed the jars from the water bath and I see that there are quite a lot of bubbles in the pears among the tomatoes now. They were not there before I put them in the jars. I also noticed a slight hissing sound like air escaping through a leak in the lids.

    I am wondering if maybe I did not secure the kids well enough. Any suggestions on fixing this? Do I just reprocess them tomorrow morning? Or is this not an issue?

    Angie

  • 2ajsmama
    9 years ago

    Pears? Bubbles are normal, if you just removed them from canner (waited 5 minutes?) they're still boiling. Check the lids in the AM and you can reprocess then if necessary.

  • HotHabaneroLady
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Sorry. I type on an iPad so autocorrect does strange things.

    In the JARS among the tomatoes. Not pears.
    And I'm wondering if I secured the LIDS well enough. I don't have kids. And I don't think I would can them if I did.

    Angie

  • 2ajsmama
    9 years ago

    I figured a typo. Autocorrect! But I was thinking pieces?...what else could it be?

    I missed the "kids" - just read it as "lids"! But if you had little kids, it would be best to secure them when you were canning ;-).

    So no worries now? Let us know how things look in the morning.

  • HotHabaneroLady
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I still have big gaps between the pieces of the tomatoes that make for big bubbles. Or maybe there is a vacuum between them. But I think I can fix them by just shaking them, unless they are indicators of a problem that needs addressing. But I am hearing that lovely sound of lids sealing.

    We will see in the morning! Thank you for all of your coaching!

    Angie

  • HotHabaneroLady
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Okay, so I did not have a chance to post this morning, but the lids appear to all be sealed. No one else seems concerned about the fact that big bubbles appeared in the tomatoes during processing, so I am going to assume that all is well. Besides, all is did was immerse them in boiling water, and I suspect even I could not mess up boiling water. :)

    Angie

    This post was edited by HotHabaneroLady on Sun, Sep 7, 14 at 22:49

  • 2ajsmama
    9 years ago

    Pictures would help if you're concerned about big air bubbles.

  • seysonn
    9 years ago

    I still have big gaps between the pieces of the tomatoes that make for big bubbles
    %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

    Angie,
    You can cut a few juicy tomatoes into pieces. Crush or lightly blend an pour in the can, just enough to fill the voids and get the air out.

    Another way is pressing down the tomatoes.

  • HotHabaneroLady
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks, seysonn, but as I mentioned earlier in the thread, these appeared after processing was completed. I did remove the bubbles before processing, but I can't open the jars now without breaking the seals.

    Thank you to everyone, especially Ajsmama, for all the tips. I had some time and did some further research earlier today. It looks like all should be okay. :)

    Angie

  • pattypan
    9 years ago

    speaking of tomatoes, we are in love with NCHFP's spaghetti sauce, no meat. i find cooking the sauce down to half volume to take way too long, so my first batches are on the thin side.
    dave, you mentioned freezing tomatoes for processing later on. has anyone cooked down crushed tomatoes a bit in smaller batches and freezing, then thawing it all out to cook down more, then put through a mill, etc.? because by now my freezers are full and my tomatoes are slowing down. the sauce takes up less room and this cuts down the cooking time on PC day. i would think that cooking before freezing would also kill the enzymes that blanching does. total freeze/heat times would not be increased that much. poor tomatoes, it's a wonder they morph into something wonderful !

  • petesapie5
    9 years ago

    Hello everyone,
    I was just given quite a few orange tomatoes (don't know the exact name for them) from someone I know. My wife started canning them this evening but she is finding that the tomatoes are very "runny" and she didn't get the same results as the yellow and red tomatoes. Is there anything she can do to "thicken up" the sauce? She tried boiling them down, used a food mill, and water bathed them. So far all I have found researching the topic is that she MAY be able to remove the seeds and juice beforehand, and try to just use the "meaty" part, but if she uses a food mill doesn't that do the same thing? Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks in advance!