Canning Series - Tomatoes

We had another lovely canning class a few weeks ago and the focus was tomatoes. I know tons of people who grow their own tomatoes and I hope to grow some myself someday. (Since I haven't quite mastered keeping house plants alive, I have a feeling that I'm not ready for an outdoor garden).
Here's our happy group after canning for three hours. Don't we look proud of ourselves?

When working with fresh tomatoes, you will likely need to core and peel them to use them in recipes. This is quite simple. Just boil a large pot of water and drop them in. Let them boil for a few minutes and then drain them. Let them sit for a couple minutes so that you don't burn your fingers off. Then the peel should slide or peel off easily. To core them, just take out that hard part in the middle and scrape out the seed (if you want). Here's our big ol' bowl of tomatoes after we took them out of the boiling water. The peels were practically falling off.


We did three recipes and they all came from the Ball Canning Company's website. First on the list of recipes was...

Bruschetta In a Jar
~Flavorful and great to have on hand~

Makes about 7 (8 oz) half pints

You will need:

• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp dried basil
• 2 Tbsp dried oregano
• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 9 cups chopped cored peeled plum tomatoes (about 4 lb or 12 medium)
• 7 (8 oz) half pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

Directions:
1. Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.

2. Combine garlic, wine, wine vinegar, water, sugar, basil, oregano and balsamic vinegar. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes or until garlic is heated through. Remove from heat.


3. Pack tomatoes into hot jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Ladle hot vinegar mixture over tomatoes leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center hot lid on jar. Apply band and adjust until fit is fingertip tight. The picture below shows our cool little "get the air bubbles out" tool that came with our Ball canning kit.


4. Process filled jars in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

Next up on the list was the classic...

Italian Style Tomato Sauce
~Perfect when you need a quick meal~

Makes about 3 (16 oz) pints

You will need:

• 8 cups fresh plum tomato purée
• 2/3 cup finely chopped onion
• 2/3 cup finely chopped celery
• 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 4 tbsp bottled lemon juice
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes
• 3 (16 oz) pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

Directions:
1. Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.

2. Combine 1 cup of tomato purée, onion, celery, carrot and garlic in a large stainless steel saucepan, Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat, cover and boil gently until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. While maintaining a steady boil, add remaining tomato purée, 1 cup at a time, stirring frequently. Stir in lemon juice, salt, black pepper and hot pepper flakes. Increase heat to high and bring to a full rolling boil; boil hard, stirring frequently, until mixture is reduced by one third, about 15 minutes.

3. Ladle hot sauce into hot jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and re-measure headspace. If needed, add more sauce to meet recommended headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band and adjust until fit is fingertip tight.4.) Process filled jars in a boiling water canner for 35 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.
We ended on a spicy note with...

Zesty Salsa
~Homemade salsa is such a treat!~

Makes about 6 (16 oz) pints or 12 (8 oz) half pints
You will need:

• 10 cups chopped cored peeled tomatoes (about 25 medium)
• 5 cups chopped seeded green bell peppers (about 4 large)
• 5 cups chopped onions (about 6 to 8 medium)
• 2-1/2 cups chopped seeded chili peppers, such as hot banana, Hungarian wax, serrano or jalapeño (about 13 medium)
• 1-1/4 cups cider vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1 tsp hot pepper sauce, optional
• 6 (16 oz) pint or 12 (8 oz) half pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

Directions:
1. Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.

2. Combine tomatoes, green peppers, onions, chili peppers, vinegar, garlic, cilantro, salt and hot pepper sauce, if using, in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.


3. Ladle hot salsa into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot salsa. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight.


4. Process both pint and half pint jars in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

Stay tuned for more recipes from our canning series, plus some new fall and winter recipes I've been trying!