Any good recipes and ideas for canning my tomatoes? I have a ton of them this year.?

Question

I have a couple of recipes for canning tomato sauce and for canning tomator juice. Truthfully the whole canning process is a little scary to me...so I was wondering if anyone knew any easy safe things I could do to preserve my tomatoes. Also, I have some peppers and would also welcome recipes for homemade salsa.

Answer 1

Yes I do. And don't be frightened. This process is the easiest and most sure fired way to preserve tomatoes I ever heard of. However, the instructions must be followed exactly! No cheating. No peaking before time limits are up, etc.

Canning Tomato Sauce into jars – the easy way

Put a tablespoon of salt into bottom of each sterilized quart jar. Fill to neck of jar with tomato sauce. Place twelve jars onto cookie sheet and place in preheated 350 degree oven without lids on. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Place lids and rings onto each jar without screwing rings down. Leave each ring in place but NOT screwed down. Bake another 15 minutes. Remove from oven and screw lids down tight. Do not open oven door during the 75 minute baking time. You will probably hear lids poping down and sealing before all rings are tightened.

That's all there is to it. No pressure cooker or other special equipment to buy. It's easy, fun and guaranteed.

Answer 2

There is some good information on Canning Tomatoes and Tomato Products at this site:
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09341.html

Salsa recipe
(Fresh and thick)

Ingredients
1 can Diced tomato / 1 Yellow pepper
2 cloves Garlic pressed/crushed / 1 Green pepper
1 teaspoon Salt / 1 Red pepper
1 Lime juiced / 1 Jalapeno pepper
1 White onion / 1 handful Cilantro
4 stalks Celery

Instructions
Dice as finely as you can (almost minced):
white onion
celery
peppers
cilantro

Add other ingredients. Mix.

Will keep a week to ten days in the refrigerator.

Answer 3

When I do canning I like it to be as simple as possible. Here is what I do. . .

CANNED TOMATOES
Scald tomatoes in a pot of bopiling water. Wearing rubber gloves remove skins.
Remove the blossom end.
Cut into desired sized pieces.
Pack tomato pieces into warm sterilized pint jars.
Add 1/2 teaspoon of Pickling Salt (not regular table salt); 1/2 teaspoon white sugar and 1 & 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice to each pint jar of tomatoes.
Next pour canned tomato juice to fill the pint jar to 1/2 inch from the rim.
Seal and process in a hot water bath for 25 minutes.

SALSA
1 heaping icecream pail (4 litres) full of fresh tomatoes.
2 large spanish onions chopped
3 green peppers chopped
1 sweet red pepper chopped
1 bunch of celery chopped
1/2 jar of jalapeno peppers chopped (more or less per personal taste)
2 large cans of HUNTS tomato paste
1/4 cup of yellow sugar
1/4 cup of pickling salt.

Scald tomatoes and remove skins.
Chop all vegetables.
Combine vegetables in a large heqavy pot or canner.
Heat to boiling uncovered over medium heat.
Boil gently uncovered stirring occassionally until thickened (about 3 or 4 hours).
Taste for seasoning. Add more salt or jalapeno peppers if needed.
Put in hot sterilized jars to within 1/2 inch of the top. Seal. Makes approx. 10 pints.

Answer 4

You can also wash them and freeze them whole in ziploc bags. Just remove however many you need and throw them in your recipe. They will get soggy when you defrost them but I use them in any recipe that calls for canned tomatoes. If you are making something that will cook for a while, just throw them in frozen and break them up with a spoon as they defrost.

Answer 5

got a deep freezer put tomatoes in there........ prep as if cannin. but instead of jars put in freezer bags an freexe..