Canning Whole Tomatoes

This time of year prohibits those of us who are gardener-food preserving-football loving-Sunday school teaching-hunting-father of two-husbands from doing much of anything besides those things that are mentioned, but I do want to be sure to continue to list recipes.

This blog WAS initially intended to merely be a place where I could list all of the recipes I have accumulated over the years instead of them being in a small notebook that I have to leaf through every time I need to find something - and it still is.  Hopefully those that care know to check back here if ever there is something they would like to re-visit.

In the coming days I will be posting a few of the more popular recipes in my notebook, Habenero Hot Sauce and my Homemade Pancake recipe (yes Cole, you will be able to return anytime you want to make them).

In the mean time I wanted to update on a few things that have been happening since the last post.  I canned whole tomatoes the other day, and plan on doing more tomorrow.  This is a great way to preserve the tomato harvest that requires little time and effort, and the opportunities are endless as to how you use them throughout the winter.  Soups, chili, sauces, tomato juice, etc.  The list goes on and on.

Start by removing the upper cores and any bad spots on the tomatoes.  I do this to all of the tomatoes before moving on to the next step.  Do whatever works best for you.

While you're cleaning the tomatoes up, have a pot of water coming to a boil on the stove.  You are going to blanch the tomatoes for 20-40 seconds in the boiling water and then immediately remove them from the boiling water and place them in a cold water bath.  This will allow the skins to slip off with just a pinch.

There are two ways to proceed from here.  You can can the whole tomatoes in water, or you can can the tomatoes in their own juice.  I always can them in their own juice.  The jars do not look nearly as nice, and it's a tad messier, but the flavor cannot be beat.

If you plan on canning the tomatoes in water bring a clean pot of water to a boil and tightly pack the skinned tomatoes into jars.  Pack them tightly but not so tight that you're changing the shape of the tomatoes, that will ruin your eye pleasing look.  Once the tomatoes are packed nicely, pour the boiling water over them leaving 1/2 inch head space.

If you plan on canning the tomatoes in their own juice simply fill your jars with the tomatoes and smash them together until you have enough juice to have only 1/2 inch head space.  Be sure to use a small spatula to remove any air bubbles when doing either technique.

Place both quarts and pints into a boiling water canner and process for 1 hour and 25 minutes.  Remove, cool, check seals, enjoy.

Keep it whole dudes.