How to Can- Tomatoes

 

I love to cook with tomatoes and every time they are in season, I want to take advantage of it and get as many as I can. This year, I was lucky to have a friend that grew huge amounts of tomatoes and wanted anyone to take them off her hands. So, I took a couple of trips out there to pick away. I let many of them ripe and others I used up fresh. I was going to preserve a few things with tomatoes like spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, salsa, and tomato soup. But, I realized that if I just preserve tomatoes themselves, then I can use them for all of these things, plus more. The tomatoes would be ready to use and then I could just use them for what I needed the most. In this post, I will show you how I like preserve tomatoes which is fast, easy, and requires no cooking.

 

Supplies You Will Need:

• Water Bath Canning pot-Tomatoes do not need to be pressure canned
• Jars- Quart or Pint Sized Jars (Wide or Regular mouth, new or re-used)
• Lids- Wide of regular mouth (never re-use lids)
• Rings- Wide or regular mouth (Re-used rings are great as they are not rusty)
• Jar Lifter
• Bubble Remover/Headspace Tool
• Magnetic Lid Lifter
• Jar Funnel 

 
Always have these cleaned and ready to go when you begin canning. I also like to throw my jars, lids, and rings in the dishwasher with a mild soap even if they are brand new and do a 1-hour wash or sanitation cycle.

If you haven't already done this, sterilize your used jars and rings by placing them in boiling water for about 10 min. I use my Water bath canner for this to make things a little easier. It is good to add your new lids for 5 minutes to soften the band and sterilize as well. Set them out to air dry.

 

Keep the Skins, Seeds, and Jelly:



It has been widely assumed that the flavor of the tomato is in the flesh. However, this is not the case. The real tomato flavor itself comes from the seeds and its jelly. As far as the skins go, I prefer to keep them on because they help retain the shape of the tomato slices and I don't really notice the skins when I puree them for soups and sauces. Plus, removing the skins is one less step I have to do, not to mention a messy one.  

 

 

 

Clean and Cut:

Clean your tomatoes and remove stumps. Cut and fill Jars. You can cut in halves, quarters or leave them whole.

I would use a funnel for less mess. If you don't have a funnel, don't forget to wipe off the jar rims if there is juice, seeds or any residue on them.

 

 

Add Natural Preservative:

I know many women who do not use any kind of preservative when they can tomatoes. I prefer the lemon juice and the small amount of salt because it fight off potential mold and heat resistant bacteria. Of course, my tomatoes don't last longer than a year or two before they are all gone and I need to make another batch.

 

Salt and lemon juice for both Pints and Quart Jars:

I use lemon juice but you can also use 1/4 teaspoon of citric acid per one Tablespoon of bottled Lemon Juice.

 

Pints- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Quarts- 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of salt

Sprinkle salt (I use Kosher Salt) and pour lemon juice over cut tomatoes in jar.

 

 

Fill Jars:

Bring a large pot of water to boil. I like to keep my kettle hot and ready for each batch of quart sized jars. Fill jars with pre-boiled water leaving 1/2 inch space at the top. Cover with lid and ring.

 

 

Process Times:

Bring to a boil and Process in a water Bath Canner

35 min for pints

45 minutes for quarts

Submerge secured jars in pre-boiled water in your water bath canner. Cover with canner lid and process for the correct amount of time.

 

 

 

Cool Down:  

After they are done, take them out of the canner, set them on a dry towel (trying not to hit the jars), and let them sit upright for 6-12 hours. This way they can complete the process. Then, you can mark the date and store them with your canned goods.

 

 

Store canned tomatoes in a cool dark place and they should last for a few years.

 

 

 

More ways to preserve your tomatoes (posts to come):

 

Dry Your Tomatoes

 

I like to dry some of my tomatoes. They work well in soups, salads, and pastas.

Freeze Your Tomatoes

 

I also like to freeze tomatoes. I use these for pureed soups and sauces.

 

How to Can Peaches

If you have never canned Peaches or would like easy to follow, step by step instructions on how to can them at home, then this post is for you. It is also for those that want to get reacquainted with canning again and process their fruits using a water bath canner rather than a pressure canner. I enjoy canning, freezing, dehydrating, and jamming (is that a word) my peaches each fall. I like to have them on hand and ready for those times I am just craving peaches. I prefer to freeze my peaches for a fresher taste after they thaw, however with two freezers well stocked, I would choose to can as a second choice for food storage.

Then again, I think that just having peaches ready to eat, is very nice.

 

Assemble your equipment

After you bought, picked, or gathered your peaches together. Assemble your equipment.

 

Supplies You Will Need:

• Jars- Quart or Pint Sized Jars (Wide or regular mouth, new or re-used)
• Lids- Wide of regular mouth (never re-use lids)
• Rings- Wide or regular mouth (You can re-use rings as long as they are not rusty)
• Jar Lifter
• Bubble Remover/Headspace Tool
• Magnetic Lid Lifter
• Jar Funnel 

 

Always have these cleaned and ready to go when you begin canning. I also like to throw my jars, lids, and rings in the dishwasher with a mild soap even if they are brand new and do a 1-hour wash or sanitation cycle.

If you haven't already done this, sterilize your used jars and rings by placing them in boiling water for about 10 min. I use my Water bath canner for this to make things a little easier. It is good to add your new lids for 5 minutes to soften the band and sterilize as well.

 

 

 

Make Your Syrup

While your jars are boiling, make the syrup for your peaches:

The way I like to have my syrup is to do 2 cups of sugar for 6 cups of water.

 

 

Here are some syrup recipes according to the Better Homes and Garden cookbook:

 

• Very Light Syrup = 1 cup of sugar to 4 cups of water
• Thin Syrup = 1 2/3 cup of sugar to 4 cups of water
• Medium Syrup = 2 2/3 cups of sugar per 4 Cups of water 
• Heavy Syrup = 4 cups of sugar to 4 cups of water 

-FRUIT JUICE
Another alternative is using fruit juice instead of syrup. So, if you have a supply of a peach, pear, white grape, or apple juice, I have heard from people that have done this and it works great.

-HONEY
If you want to use honey instead of sugar, I was always told to pressure can your peaches when doing this method, but I should look into more.

Directions-

While heating up water pour your sugar in and bring it to a rolling boil and keep simmered throughout canning. 

 

Prepare Peaches

 

 

Here is 6 step guide to preparing your peaches

1. Wash your peaches thoroughly
2. Mark an X on the skin of the peach (don't cut into the peach)
3. Blanch peaches by putting peaches into boiling water for 40-90 seconds (you will start to see the skins becoming loose).
4. Shock them by placing them into ice cold water immediately for a few minutes.
5. Pull the loose skin from the peaches
6. Peel completely and it is ready to cut. The peels should come off easily. You can peel off any tough patches with a peeler.

 

Fill Jars

Slice into halves or quarters as you wish.

 

 

 

Put slices into quart or pint sized jars leaving 1 inch clearance, put 1/2 teaspoon of Fresh Fruit, Ascorbic Acid, or Citric Acid  powder over peaches, pour in syrup, and put lid/ring on.

Hot Pack Method
We chose to do the cold pack or raw method. If you would like to do the hot pack method just add your peaches to your syrup in the pot and then bring to a boil.  Fill jars as usual leaving 1 inch clearance and place lid and ring on jar.

 

(If you use a funnel, you usually don't have to wipe off the rim before putting on the lid and ring)

Use your plastic bubble remover or rubber spatula by sticking it down the side of the jars to release the bubbles. Pictured here is a butter knife I used. I was always told never to use metal devices to do this (but I do anyway ;).

 

Process Peaches

 

 

 

Water Bath Raw/Cold Pack Process Times:
Pints- 25 minutes
Quarts- 30 minutes

Water Bath Hot Pack Process Times:
Pints-20 minutes
Quarts- 25 minutes

  

Cool Down

 

 

Remove with jar lifter (if you have one) and place jars on flat surface on top of a towel. Push finger down on lid to check if jar is sealed. If it pops back, they are not sealed yet. They may not pop to seal for up to a half an hour after processing. Just check them and if they don't seal, you may want to repeat processing for another 5 - 10 minutes. Don't worry though, they normally pop and you'll probably start to hear popping as they are cooling down on the towel.

 

Additional Notes*

• Another thing is that the jars may boil over and you will see bubbles coming out from under the rings, as long as they sealed, they are fine. You will probably just lose some juice. Make sure that you take a warm wash cloth and wipe the ring, lid, and jar because they will be sticky from the overflowing.

 

• You may also see that some peaches are not covered by the juice. This is not harmful and the fruit may turn brown a little from storage, but after 24 hours of cooling, you can turn the jar upside down in your hand back and forth to mix the fruit a bit more in the jar. 

 

Jalapeno Jelly

 The growing season starts early here in Texas (I planted in February) so everything is really setting on.  We have one jalapeno plant which is very ambitious.  Sent the kids out yesterday and there were 20 peppers ready to be picked!  So I decided to make some jalapeno jelly.  My husband likes to dip his jalapeno poppers in it. I like it when you thaw a brick of cream cheese and smother in the jelly, then eat with crackers.

 First de-seed and de-vein about 12 jalapenos.  Please wear gloves and don't touch your face. Ouch! My method is to cut the top of, cut in half and use my thumb to just push the seeds out.

 Throw the peppers in a food processor or blender with 1 cup of cider vinegar.  Give it a whirl and make a puree.

At this point, I washed all the jars and lids in the sink and then put them in the canner (with the burner on, covered in hot water) to keep warm until they were used.

Pour the puree into a deep stainless steel pot (it will grow at least double in volume) and add another cup of cider vinegar and 6 cups of sugar.  Get this to a rolling boil and boil 10 minutes.  Add 2 packages of pectin and boil another minute.

Take off heat and add food coloring (optional). Skim foam off top.

Ladle jelly into hot jars.  I love my funnel that came with my set of canning accessories.  If fits perfect! Make sure to leave a little room at the top of the jar (unlike the jar in the front of the picture below).  I had to take a little out of that one.

The jars are ready for lids now.  Place lids and rings.  Put in canner.  Cover completely in water and process 10 minutes.

Tada! Jalapeno jelly

Recipe:

Jalapeno Jelly

12 oz. jalapenos (about 12 medium)

2 cups cider vinegar (divided)

6 cups sugar

2 packages pectin

jars, lids, etc.

My favorite canning book

Potatoes All Around

Idaho Potato Website with other great recipes: http://www.idahopotato.com/ Being from Idaho, I am surprised that I don't have any of my hometown recipes on here that use the grand potato. One thing I love about this staple food is that they usually go on sale and can be stored for months in a brown paper bag. But, like many staple foods, I don't always use up all of them up before they go bad. I have canned potatoes before I invested in a deep freezer and now I want to freeze almost everything! It is so fast, easy and saves money and time in the end. Try it for yourself.

For great Idahoan Funeral Potatoes:

Ingredients:
8 med Idaho potatoes sliced or shredded
1 1/2 cups of grated cheese (I use half sharp Cheddar and half Monterey Jack)
1 can of Cream of Chicken soup (For gluten free version, you can make your own chicken sauce)
1/4 cup of chives
1/4 cup of minced onions
1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper
1/2 -1 Tablespoon of Dill Weed
2-3 strips of crumbled cooked bacon or equivalent measurement of bacon bits
1 1/2 cups of Sour Cream
1/4 cup of melted Butter
1/2 - 1 cup of crushed corn flakes (Can use potato chips or bread crumbs if you want instead)

Directions:
Combine all ingredients, except butter and corn flakes. Place in a 9x13 pan, drizzle melted butter over top; sprinkle crushed corn flakes last. Bake @ 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

For whole or half potatoes:

Clean and Bake until done (don't forget to poke some holes in them with a fork), place on a sprayed sheet pan and freeze, then put into a freezer bag.

To re-cook, bake as usual until done (should not take as long as normal).

For future Mashed Potatoes:
Clean and (peel if desired) cut into cubes and cook in a simmering salt water bath until done.
Drain and Lay out on a sprayed sheet pan and freeze until solid.
Place in freezer bags.
Prepare as usually for any recipe that calls for cubed potatoes or cook and mash.


Or, if like to use sliced potatoes for soups, Scalloped potatoes, or even recipes that layer potatoes:

Cook whole or half potatoes in simmering salt water until mostly done, slice, and lay out on a sheet pan, freeze until solid and then place in freezer bag.


Do you think that freezing potatoes would be something you would do or do you not cook with potatoes that often?

Sweetest Potatoes

What is wrong with this picture?

I actually found both Yams and Sweet potatoes (together) at my local grocery store,

(It used to be rare to find an acutal yam in a local grocery store, I guess they are more pronounced).

The only problem with these were that they were technically labled backwards.

This beautiful orange sweet potato is a great choice to start off a new recipe with. It is not only National Potato Lover's Month but, National Sweet Potato Month and I couldn't resist posting about this fabulous food. North Carolina is the leading producer of sweet potatoes and second in line is Louisiana for the United States. Native to South America, the sweet potato has been used interchangeably with it's partner in crime, the yam, which is native to Africa. They are not one in the same and in fact not related botanically. All yams in the United States are actually sweet potatoes according to the US department of Agriculture.The department also states that if the name "yam" is labeled, "sweet potato" must accompany it. The word yam, is known to come from Africa when its people referred it to our sweet potato.
 All pictures below were taken when I was living in California (last year).

Preserving Your Sweet Potatoes

 I recommend freezing sweet potatoes for a fast a easy preserving method. If you do choose to can them, you will need a pressure canner to do so (like most vegetables do). Frozen sweet potatoes can be cut into slices, cuncks which make them easy to puree later on. There are different ways to freeze your potatoes. I use this method for time reasons usually.

Here are the steps:

After cleaning the potatoes, cook them. (I put them in boiling water for 15-20 min).

Lay them out to dry and cool down on a towel. (It took ours about 20-40 mins to cool)

Peel them (they will be a little soft). 

If desired, to prevent darkening, dip whole sweet potatoes or slices for 5 seconds in a solution of 1/2 cup lemon juice to 1 quart water.
To keep mashed sweet potatoes from darkening, mix 2 tablespoons orange or lemon juice with each quart of mashed sweet potatoes
Slice how you wish.You can mash at this stage but, it is faster to mash them when you use them later.
Then bag them in freezer bags according to how much you might use in a family serving. We filled these quart sized bags half full. Just think, they will be perfect for anytime you need sweet potatoes cooked, and ready to go!

Has anyone tried real yams before?

Money saving tips...

Tip #1: Did you know that milk can be frozen for up to two months? When it is on sale, we buy a few gallons and throw them in the freezer. When it looks like we will be needing more soon, we pull it out and let it thaw on the counter for a day. It taste just as good as it would have straight from the store. For some reason, it looks yellow when it is frozen but don't worry, it is fine. Tip #2: Meat is expensive. Use it wisely. We buy beef chunks and stir fry meat when it is on sale (and lets face it, we do this even when it's not on sale) and break it up for individual meals before freezing it. Just open the container and put a small hand full into a freezer bag.

You'll quickly discover that you don't need tons of meat in your stir fry or in your strogonof and when it's not all frozen in one chunk, you don't have to use it all at once. I also like that when I make crock pot meals, I don't have to thaw my meat. I just rip the bag so that the meat comes out in one chunk, pour on my ingredients, and let it cook.

Tip #3: Pancake syrup is a waste of money. Make your own, it is a LOT cheaper.

Ingredients
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
1/8 tsp mapeline, maple extract or imitation maple flavoring

Mix the water and sugar together in a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup and heat for five minutes in the microwave. Stop and stir every minute (or close to it- sometimes mine only gets stirred two to three times but it still works. Just make sure the sugar is dissolved when it's done). Add your maple.
When you're done, put it in a container with a lid and store in the fridge. If it is not covered, it will start to form sugar crystals. We used a canning jar at first. Later we bought syrup for a camp out, making sure the container was microwave safe. We fill that with our home made syrup after it is made.

Produce Your Garden

Wow, this month has already flown by, I've been pretty busy in and out of the kitchen. today I wanted to share how I did my harvesting and preserving this year. Look for more posts on how-to canning, dehydrating, and freezing specific produce.

When we moved to Oregon in June, we were still able to start a garden. Since we were a little late for planting we began with starter plants (as shown below).

Some of our plants produced faster than others and it keeps growing strong.

Corn


Romaine Lettuce

Peppers (Green, jalapeno, yellow, and red)

Tomatillos

Peas

Others include carrots, squash, zucchini, green beans, watermelon, tomatoes, and herbs.

About the same time that my late garden was coming along, I went to visit my parents garden in Idaho. Their lettuce looked perfect!

By planting corn at different times, you won't get overloaded.

Their little fruit orchard was also filling up with Apricots, apples, pears, and plums.

What other ways can you get fresh produce in bulk if you don't grow it yourself?

Here's how I did it.

Going to U-Pick farms or Buying directly from the farmer by fruit stand or other.

Plentiful Farmer's Markets

When it came to preserving my produce, I did it three ways:

Freezing

Dehydrating

and Canning.

Has anyone preserve this month? What Did you do? Was it easy or hard?

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Coming Up Next....... Preserving Tomatoes (with the skins) and canning Peaches (re-do)