Getting ready to can tomatoes. I'm very inexperienced.?

Question

A friend at work told me today that I should put a tsp. of canning salt in tomatoes before sealing. ( do I have to? and can I use regular salt? What is the difference between the 2 salts?) Thanks for any advice!

Answer 1

I just use water & salt added to sterilized jars.


Freezing is also a good simple way to preserve them.

also cook up a soup/sauce/paste to freeze and use later as needed.

also "sun dried" tomatoes made in the oven with salt, sugar and herbs, bottled in oil or frozen.

Answer 2

North San Diego County right here, and that they've been interior the floor for sort of two weeks, and 2 foot tall ALREADY.....have been given some Heirloom seeds from a female chum, some Watermelon Tomatoes, Zebra, green Stripe, and so on.....final 3 hundred and sixty 5 days they made those surprising tomato platters (think of: a composed salad) with some Balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, they have been reliable adequate for a meal....... Christopher

Answer 3

You do not have to put anything in the jars except the tomatoes! Only canning salt I have ever heard of is actually pickling salt and you dont want pickled tomatoes do you??

Answer 4

I use regular salt before heating. I'v never heard of canning salt

Answer 5

I have never used canning salt in my tomatoes. I am assuming your pressure cooking them right. If so, just prepare them by cooking them up (not completly as they continue to cook while you put them in the pressure cooker). Fill your jars up to the bottom of the neck, put your lids on and pressure cook them. Good luck and I hope that was some help.

Answer 6

Whatever you do, do not leave out the salt. I did and the whole batch molded and what was worse , I left them in my parents basement. LOL what a smelly mess. I had to through out everything.

Answer 7

Never heard of canning salt, either...use regular salt or Kosher...just make sure the jars are super clean/steralized, your water is hot enough and the lids "suck in" when you put them on....

Answer 8

Check out the website www.canning-food-recipe.com.
This site tells how to can step by step. Great site. Hope this helps!!!
:)

Answer 9

im not sure myself but if your friend has experience id follow his advice

Answer 10

Ingredients and Equipment
Tomatoes - about 20 lbs to make 7 quarts (7 large tomatoes will fill one quart jar.)
lemon juice - fresh or bottled, about 1/2 cup
1 quart tomato juice (or plain water)
1 Water bath Canner (a huge pot to sterilize the jars after filling (about $30 to $35 - $30 at mall kitchen stores, Wal-Mart. Note: we sell many sizes and types of canners for all types of stoves and needs - see canning supplies). Tomatoes are on the border between the high-acid fruits that can be preserved in a boiling-water bath and the low-acid fruits, vegetables and meats that need pressure canning
1 large pot (to scald the tomatoes, step 3) and 1 medium sized pot to heat the tomato juice or water to add to the jars (step 6) and 1 small pot to sterilize the lids.
Pint or quart canning jars (Ball or Kerr jars can be found at Publix and Wal-Mart - about $8 per dozen jars including the lids and rings). Be sure to get wide mouth jars to fit the pickles in! Pint size works best!
Lids - thin, flat, round metal lids with a gum binder that seals them against the top of the jar. They may only be used once.
Rings - metal bands that secure the lids to the jars. They may be reused many times.
Jar grabber (to pick up the hot jars)
Lid lifter (has a magnet to pick the lids out of the boiling water where you sterilize them. ($2 at Wal-Mart)
Jar funnel ($3-$4 at Wal-Mart)
Large spoons and ladles


Process - How to Make Home Canned Tomatoes from Fresh Tomatoes
Step 1 - Selecting the tomatoes
It's fun to go pick your own and you can obviously get better quality tomatoes!

At right is a picture of tomatoes from my garden - they are so much better than anything from the grocery store. And if you don't have enough, a pick-you-own farm is the pace to go! At right are 4 common varieties that will work:

Top left: Beefsteak Top right: Lemon Boy, yellow
Bottom left: Roma, paste-type Bottom right: Better Boy


The picture at right shows the best variety of tomato to use: Roma; also called paste tomatoes. They have fewer sides, thicker, meatier walls, and less water. And that means thicker sauce in less cooking time!

Also, you don't want mushy, bruised or rotten tomatoes!







Step 2 - Get the jars and lids sterilizing
The dishwasher is fine for the jars. I get that going while I'm preparing everything else, so it's done by the time I'm ready to fill the jars. If you don't have a dishwasher, submerge the jars in a large pot (the canner itself) of water and bring it to a boil.

Be sure to let it go through the rinse cycle to get rid of any soap!



Get the canner heating up
Fill the canner about 1/2 full of water and start it heating (with the lid on).



Get a the medium pot of water or tomato juice heating
This is also a good time to get your 1 quart of tomato juice and/or water boiling (you will use it to fill any air spaces in the jars in step 6).

Start the water for the lids
Put the lids into the small pot of boiling water for at least several minutes. Note: everything gets sterilized in the water bath (step 7) anyway, so this just helps to ensure there is no spoilage later!)










Step 3 - Removing the tomato skins
Here's a trick you may not know: put the tomatoes, a few at a time in a large pot of boiling water for no more than 1 minute (30 - 45 seconds is usually enough)



then....



Plunge them into a waiting bowl of ice water.

This makes the skins slide right off of the tomatoes! If you leave the skins in, they become tough and chewy in the sauce, not very pleasant.





Step 4 - Removing the skins bruises and tough parts
The skins should practically slide off the tomatoes. then you can cut the tomatoes in quarters and remove the tough part around the stem and any bruised or soft parts.




Step 5 - Fill the jars with the whole or cut tomatoes
Fill them to within 1/4 inch of the top with tomatoes



Be sure the contact surfaces (top of the jar and underside of the ring) are clean to get a good seal!











Step 6 - Add 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice and liquid
After you fill each jar with tomatoes, add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. This helps to reduce the odds of spoilage and to retain color and flavor. Then fill to 1/2 inch of the top with either boiling water or hot tomato juice.

Step 7 - Free any trapped air bubbles
Using a flat plastic or wood utensil (like a plastic spoon, up side down) free trapped air bubbles by gently sliding it up and down around the inside edge.













Step 8 - Put the lids and rings on
Just screw them on snugly, not too tight. If the is any tomato on the surface of the lip of the jar, wipe it off first with a clean dry cloth or paper towel.









Step 9 - Boil the jars in the water bath canner
Put them in the canner and keep them covered with at least 1 inch of water. Keep the water boiling. Process the jars in a boiling-water bath for 40 minutes for pints and 45 minutes for quarts. Remember to adjust the time if you are at a different altitude other than sea level! Pressure canners work better for tomatoes and other low acid photos - you'll get less spoilage with a pressure canner.

I prefer a pressure canner as the higher temperatures and shorter cooking time result in better flavor and less spoilage. For more information or to order one, click on Pressure Canners. The recipe and directions for pressure canning tomatoes are here.

Recommended process time for water-packed Whole or Cut up Tomatoes in a boiling-water canner.

Process Time at Altitudes Above Sea Level of

Jar Size
0 - 1,000 ft
1,001 - 3,000 ft
3,001 - 6,000 ft
Above 6,000 ft

Pints
40 min
45
50
55

Quarts
45
50
55
60


Step 10 - Done
Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight) You can then remove the rings if you like. Don't worry if you see the tomatoes floating above a layer of liquid; that's normal. tomatoes have a lot of water in them and it separates a bit. If I had packed the tomatoes in the jars a bit tighter or squeezed for of the free liquid out of them before packing them in the jars, the water layer would be reduced.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------