Canning your own tomatoes

Canning tomatoes!  (See previous post as to why!)

I bought 40 lbs of tomatoes at $1 per pound which is an insanely good deal!  They aren't organic, but they were BC grown.  And I ended up with 16 packed jars!


So once we started canning I realized how much multi-tasking was necessary!  Here's what we did today (without multi-tasking suggestions - you can figure that out for yourself!):





(1) Sanitize jars in the dishwasher (wash rings in hot soapy water) and then do a final sanitize of the jars in the oven with the jars upside down in a little water in a rimmed cookie pan (bake at 200 deg).  Keep these going (approximately six at a time), for 10 minutes each batch.







(2) Set two large pots to boil (half full of water) - one for raw tomatoes (left) and the other for sealing the jars at the end (right)







(3) Once the tomato pot is boiling fill it with tomatoes.  Boil the raw tomatoes (they must be covered by the water) and remove once a few have split.  Fill one sink with cold ice water to cool the boiled tomatoes.  Continue boiling tomatoes until they are done.



(4) Set a medium pot to boil and then soak the snap lids in boiled (not boiling) water until they are needed.

(5) Once the tomatoes have gone through the cold bath, peel the tomatoes, cut into fours and stuff into jars.  If the tomatoes are still firm (some types of tomatoes are more firm than others - I used tomatoes on the vine) squish the tomatoes into the jar with your hand.


(6) Start a kettle of boiling water to top up the jars.



(7) After you have filled the jars with tomatoes and juice, use a butter knife around the inner jar edges to expel bubbles, add a few drops of lemon juice (to ensure safe acidity) and top with hot water to 1/4 inch from the rim of the jar.  Wipe clean the rim of the jar, top with seal (do not press down), and screw on the ring as tight as you can.





(8) Once you have approximately six jars ready, stand them in the pot on the wire stand, ensure they are covered with boiling water, cover the pot, and let set for 30 mins.







(9) Leave the jars to cool for a few hours while you enjoy the popping/ sealing sounds:)