Canning Tomatoes How-To: Tomatoes Packed in Water

We had quite an adventure last week in canning our tomatoes. Though we've posted a video detailing that (very, very long) night, we thought some readers might like to see a step-by-step process of how we did it, and what we used.

The biggest change between this year's canning and our previous efforts is a change in method. Two years ago, we used a hot-pack method, meaning that the tomatoes themselves were cooked prior to being placed in the jars.

This year, we opted to skip that step and do a raw-pack method, meaning that the tomatoes go into the jars raw, and boiling water is then added.  It was this method (and skipping the cooking step) that allowed us to do 90 pounds of tomatoes in 7 hours. If we had done the cooking step, it likely would have taken us all night to complete the canning process.

So come along on our raw-pack canning adventure! At the bottom of this post, you'll find the full recipe that we used, along with the video of our rollicking night, in case you missed it earlier. And between here and there, you'll find a bunch of photos that show each step of the way.

The Equipment

For our guide, we used the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. It's a great resource and didn't fail us here.  We studied it going to and from the farm to pick our tomatoes.

Next, you'll need jars.  We mostly used jars that we used two years ago when we canned tomatoes. 

You need to sterilize the jars: We ran them through a dishwasher cycle, and then submerged each one in boiling water for five to 10 minutes prior to placing tomatoes in them. Our jars are a mix of pints and quarts.

How many jars will you need?  We found that we needed one quart jar for every three pounds of tomatoes.

You'll also need rings and lids. Our rings are reused from two years ago, but you need to use new lids every time you can something. We sterilized the lids by submerging them in near-boiling water for four or so minutes.

 

Two pieces of very valuable equipment: a funnel and a jar lifter. Ours are cheap versions that we bought at a hardware store two years ago.

 

And lastly, we needed lemon juice to place in the bottom of the jars and give the proper level of acidity. Tomatoes are right on the borderline of being acidic enough to can without a pressure-canner. But depending on the type of tomato and its ripeness, it might not be acidic enough. Adding lemon juice -- one tablespoon for a pint jar, two tablespoons for a quart -- pushes the tomatoes solidly into the "acidic" camp.

Ball recommends against using fresh lemons and instead suggests bottled lemon juice because the level of acidity is more reliable. We bought ours at Whole Foods.

And lastly, you'll need a cutting board and knife at the ready.

The Process

Here are the basic steps to canning tomatoes using a raw-pack method.

First, sterilize the jars by placing them in boiling water (see above, in Equipment).

Then, skin the tomatoes. Get some water boiling in a pot and also prepare a water bath.

Then, contemplate your tomatoes. Aren't they pretty?

If you want, you can slice a small "x" into the bottom of the tomato at this step. It will make the skins come off easier. But honestly, we did all 90 pounds of our tomatoes without making the "x" and the skins slid off just fine.

 

Drop that the poor tomato into the boiling water.

When the skin starts to crack, fish the tomato out....

...and drop him in an ice bath.

After the tomato has cooled in the ice bath, pull him out and remove the skin. It should peel off very easily.

Transfer the tomato to a cutting board, remove the stem and core, and slice into halves or quarters.

 

Once the tomatoes are chopped, place them in the jars using a funnel and spoon. (You should already have added the lemon juice to your sterilized jars.)

Once you've filled the jar with 1/2 inch to spare at the top of the jar, pour in boiling water, still leaving 1/2 inch head space at the top.

At this point, take a plastic tool (we use the handle of a thin plastic spoon) and slide it down into the jar to release any air bubbles. Once that's done, use tongs to move the lids from the hot water to the jars, and then screw the rings on tightly.

In a large stockpot of boiling water, we drop a barrier that we created using extra jar rings and rubber bands. This is recommended to keep the jars from getting too hot on bottom. We've done canning with a barrier and without. We went with a barrier this time -- better safe than sorry.

Using the jar lifter, carefully lower the jars into a pot of boiling water. Cover and boil for 40 minutes (pints) or 45 minutes (quarts). At this point, Ball recommends turning off the heat and letting the jars sit in the water an additional five minutes. Because we were doing a large quantity of jars, we skipped this 5 minutes of resting.

 

Once the jars have processed in the hot water, carefully use the jar lifters to remove them from the water, being careful to keep them upright. Don't worry about the water that may have collected on top of the lids -- it will evaporate during the cooling process.

At this point, place the tomatoes a table or countertop (we put down a few towels to place the jars on), and then we cover the jars with more towels. We read a few years ago that it's better if you let them cool slowly. Hence, the towels.

 

Once the jars have cooled for 24 hours, check the seals. The lids should be concave, and you should not be able to "pop" the lids by pressing on them. When you remove the rings, you should be able to lift the jars while holding onto the lid. In other words, it should be tight!

If the lids are not tight or not concave, the Ball book says you can process them a second time.

And then finally, desperately search your tiny kitchen for storage space for 30 quarts of tomatoes.

Oh. Just us? That's cool.

 

Finally, here's the video we made of our fun night of canning. Enjoy!

Tomatoes Packed in Water
From the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

• Tomatoes
• Bottled lemon juice or citric acid
• Salt (optional)

1. Prepare canner, jars and lids.

2. Working in small batches, immerse tomatoes in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds or until the skins start to loosen or crack. Immediately plunge into a bowl of cold water and slip the skins off. Remove cores and any bruised or discolored portions that become apparent after blanching. Leave whole, halve or quarter.

3. Prepare tomatoes for packing:

RAW-PACK METHOD
Bring about 4 cups (1 L) water to a boil and keep hot (you will use it to fill jars). Do not heat tomatoes.

HOT-PACK METHOD
Place tomatoes in a large stainless steel saucepan. (For best results when canning whole tomatoes, do not layer them in the pan. Quartered and halved tomatoes can be layered.) Add water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring gently. Reduce heat and boil gently for 5 minutes.

4. Before packing each jar of tomatoes, add lemon juice or citric acid to the hot jar in the quantity specified below:



                                    Pint Jar (500 ML)   Quart Jar (1 L)   1.5 L Jar
Bottled lemon juice        1 tbsp                     2 tbsp                 3 tbsp
Citric Acid                     1/4 tsp                   1/2 tsp               3/4 tsp

5. Add salt, if using, in the quantity specified below:

Pint: 1/2 tsp
Quart: 1 tsp
1.5 L:  1 1/2 tsp

5. Pack tomatoes into prepared jars to within a generous 1/2 inch of top of jar. Ladle hot cooking liquid (or boiling water if using a the raw-pack method) into jar to cover tomatoes, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.

7. Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process pint jars for 40 minutes and quart and 1.5 L jars for 45 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and store.

Comments

[Meaghan]

You guys are adorable!

My friend Nicole (also a DC-dweller and master preserver who blogs at www.ginandpickles.com) taught a tomato canning class at my apartment recently. Glad to hear there are other folks locally doing massive tomato canning projects!

I've been a reader for a few months but this is my first comment. The video was too cute to pass up!

[Katie]

Great job canning! I've been doing small batches as the tomatoes ripen in our garden. I noticed that your tomatoes separated from the water at the bottom of the jar. Mine have done that too - any idea why?

[Zach @ The Bitten Word]

@Katie -- According to this site (http://www.pickyourown.org/pressure_canning_tomatoes.htm), that means we preheated the tomatoes too much (which in our case is due to the blanching), meaning they released a little more pectin, causing them to separate from the water.

It's not a problem -- just shake the jar before you open it to use the tomatoes.

[Lexi]

Question totally unrelated to canning: what is the deal with that awesome studded cutting board in these pictures? It is gorgeous! And looks like it would be very useful for cutting juicy things like tomatoes...

[A Teenage Gourmet]

90 pounds! And I thought that I had a lot of tomatoes. Thanks for the helpful video.

P.S. The last five posts I've done have featured tomatoes, please take a look if you want ideas. They've really all been fabulous.

[twofarmshares]

Terrific video! Congratulations on all those quarts of tomatoes. How was work the next day??? - Ruth

[Amy]

Are home-canned tomatoes significantly more tasty? (I don't like canned tomatoes, so I'd be using them in a sauce.) I've been toying with the idea of canning some myself this fall, but am not sure if it's worth the trouble.

[Lynne]

Love your blog and recipes but never thought about you 2 personally.
This was charming. Makes me want to hang out with you. Enjoy your tomatoes -- and thanks so much. (I think I'll go have a beer and a fortune cookie.)

[Damaris]

This is such a good and detailed post and can I say that you two are brave souls for canning tomatoes and posting it. I went to a canning class and everyone was freaked out about tomatoes and how if you mess up you DIE or something similar. Anyway, we canned apple sauces instead (so boring).

[SuburbanFoodNerd]

I LOVE this post! Thank you so much for sharing your adventure. I have been obsessed with pickling/canning of late... I am totally going to get the Ball book you used :)

[Zach @ The Bitten Word]

@Amy -- I'm going to be completely honest here and say I'm not sure I can TASTE a difference in home-canned vs. store-canned tomatoes. Some people say the store-bought ones have a metallic taste, but I don't know how I'd do in a blind taste test.

For me, the importance has more to do with knowing where the tomatoes come from, and that they're local. Plus, it's incredibly rewarding to make a sauce (in the middle of winter) with tomatoes you put up yourself. At least, it is for me.

[heguiberto]

Guys great blog!
what a cool recipe. My partner and I have been flirting with the idea of canning our own tomatoes.
cheers,
Heguiberto

[Amy]

Thanks Zach, I agree 100% about the value of knowing where my food came from. I just haven't decided if the effort is worth it this year for the tomatoes. I've been focusing on jam instead (we go through an astonishing amount of jam at my house!!) and think I'll just make sauce directly with my tomatoes and freeze rather than can. Thanks for the post, though! It is inspirational!

[Zach @ The Bitten Word]

@Amy -- Making sauce to freeze is a terrific idea! (We would have done that with some of our tomatoes, but we don't have any room in our freezer. Hmm...at what point does one invest in a deep-freeze...?)

[Peggy]

Great step-by-step of the canning process! This really made me want to go out and get some mason jars to start doing this!

[Trish]

I just discovered your blog while looking for some canning info. Great post, and great blog! I bought the same canning book last summer to help me get started, except in Canada the company is Bernardin, not Ball. You've encouraged me to take the plunge and try canning some tomatoes from the farmers market tomorrow.

[Jux]

Boys!
I've been following your web-kitchen for quite long time... and I've been planning to start some preservings too - this is so great to preserve season organic products!
I loved the video, it's didatic, full of details and incrediblely funny!!!
Chinese food, calling mom and beer definetely were really smart tools for this "preserving night taks"!!!

And you guys are really charming and great!

J'adore!!!

Hugs from an island lost in the southern skies!

[terina]

...i loved this! but, you never answered Lexi's question: what is going on with that badass cutting board???? please share! ps...found this blog through punkdomestics.com...but please tell us!

[Zach @ The Bitten Word]

@Lexi and Terina: We just put up a post about the cutting board: http://www.thebittenword.com/thebittenword/2010/08/your-questions-whats-with-that-cutting-board.html.

[woodworking books on cutting boards]

This is such a good and detailed post and can I say that you two are brave souls for canning tomatoes and posting it.

[Amy]

Hi guys, just wanted to follow up. I did make sauce to freeze, but also canned some tomatoes and puree as well. After making a few things with my canned tomatoes, I think that they really are better than the cans you buy at the store. Maybe I'm just tasting the TLC that went into them, but at least psychologically, I prefer the home-canned tomatoes. So next year I may have to follow your lead and can every tomato I can get my hands on! Thanks for the great info!

[Carly]

They look beautiful! Have you tried using the jars with glass lids and rubber rings ("Improved Gem Jars" in Canada)? The lids can be sterilized and reused indefinitely, and even the rubber rings can be reused several times.

[sundevilpeg]

I canned a lot of tomatoes a few years ago, and quite frankly, decided that it isn't worth the time and bother. Best way to preserve those dead-ripe heirloom tomatoes? Freeze them - WHOLE - in a freezer-type zippy bag. Unskinned, too. Easy as a mud pie. When you take 'em out of the freezer, the skins slip right off as they thaw. The fresh taste in stews/chilis/soups is great! (I think I stole this from Rick Bayless a few years ago - he's a busy guy with a BIG garden, and no time to fiddle with tomato canning, I suppose.)