The Tilsons

I have a small fear of canning tomatoes.  It comes from last year’s exploding midnight tomatoes. Recall how I called this experience a canning marathon!  Hah!  HAHAHA! Naive child, so young, so sheltered.  Anyway - to make a short story longer, the tomatoes were the final leg of a canning spree, I was tired, it was midnight, and I was following the book.  Suddenly, BAAM its midnight and there are tomates in the hood of my stove, on my wall and shattered glass and tomato gunk all over the inside of my canner. This is where I procured the fear of canning crushed tomatoes.

So this year we started with something a little easier to build up my confidence - tomatoe sauce (and tomatoe paste)  Of course it begins with washing the tomatos (Romas are the best I think), Blanching them (like the peaches) then pulling the skin off and squishing them up again!  What fun those boys had (Note that they got the peaches and tomatoes done in just over an hour!) Instead of cooking them down first (like most recipes call for) we got the boys to put them through the food processor for us.  This made straining the puree easy peasy.

Tomato Sauce (from Animal Vegetable Miracle - by Barbara Kingsolver)

10 quarts tomato puree (about 30 lbs. tomatoes)
4 large onions, chopped
1 cup dried basil
1⁄2 cup honey
4 tbs. dried oregano
3 tbs. salt
2 tbsp ground lemon peel
2 tbsp. thyme
2 tbs. garlic powder (or more, to taste)
2tbs. dried parsley
2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp cinnamon
1⁄2 tsp nutmeg

Soften onions in a heavy 3-gallon kettle – add a small amount of water if necessary but no oil if you are canning (very important!). Add pureed tomatoes and all seasonings, bring to a boil, and simmer on low heat for two to three hours until sauce has thickened to your liking.  Stir frequently, especially toward the end, to avoid burning. Meanwhile, heat water in canner bath, sterilize jars in boiling water or dishwasher, and pour boiling water over jar lids.

Bottled lemon juice or citric acid – NOT optional!

Add 2 tbsp of lemon juice OR 1⁄2 tsp. citric acid to each quart jar, (half that much to pint jars).  This is ensures that the sauce will be safely acidic.  When the sauce is ready, ladle it into the jars leaving 1⁄2 inch headspace. Put jars into canner and boil for 35 minutes. Remove, cool, check all seals, label and store for winter.

I went to bed at about this point.  I was pooped from stiring the tomato sauce and standing on my feet.  (Bonuses of having a roomie to share the work)

In lieu of waiting and waiting and waiting for the boiling water canner to go through all of these cans of tomato sauce, we elected to use the brand spanking new, monstrosity of a pressure canner to do it nearly all at once.  Keep in mind that this sauce doesn’t have to be done in a pressure canner. Here is a photo of Justin out back, checking on the all telling “steam”.

Tomato Paste (Bernardin Canning Book)

50 lare plum tomatoes cored
1 1/2 C chopped seeded red bell peppers
2 Bay Leaves
1 t Salt
1 Clove Garlic
Bottled Lemon Juice

1. What we did was the same thing for the tomato purée - squish, food process and sive the tomatoes and peppers. Their way is much longer.
2. Prepare jars, lids and screw tops.
3. Return mixture to saucepan, add by leaves, garlic and salt.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and stir forever (2 1/2 hours until it piles on the spoon)
4. Discard leaves and garlic clove
5. Before filling each jar with tomato paste add 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice to the hod jar.  Ladle hot paste into jars leaving 1/2 inch head space.
6. Remove bubles, wipe rim, lid, screw and load into boiling water canner
7. Process 45 minutes.

Hacked Up Tomatoes (Tomatos packed in water - Bernardin canning book)

1. Prepare pressure canner, jars, lids and screw bands. Boil a small pot of boiling water to pack tomatoes. Boil a large pot of boiling water for tomato blanching. Fill sink with cold water.
2. Load tomatoes into cheesecloth dipping bag and place in boiling water. (60 seconds)
3. Transfer tomatoes into sink, peel and core em.
4. Set out your jars and pour Lemon Juice (1 t (pint) / 2 T (quart)) and salt (1/2 t (pint) / 1tsp (quart)) into the bottom of each jar.
5. Chop up the tomatoes and put them in raw, ladeling boiling water over them, leaving 1 inch headspace.  Remove bubbles, top up water, wipe rim, lid, screw band and load set of jars into canner.
6. Process bot pint and quart jars for 10 minutes at 10 lbs of pressure (Place jars in pressure canner.  Adjust water level as specified for your canner, lock lid, bring to a boil over med high heat.  Vent steam for 10 minutes then close vent.  Continue heating to achieve 10lbs of pressure)
7. After the 10 minutes of process time, turn off the heat and let pressure return to zero naturally.  Wait 2 minutes longer then open vent.  Remove canner lid.  Wait 10 minutes, remove jars, cool and store.

**Note that no tomato jars exploded in the canning of these tomatoes.  We are all very proud.