If I don't have a Mason jar holder, can I still pack my tomato jars one against the other without cracking the jars? Must I leave a gap between the bottom of the pot and the jars? Probably, to be safe. A penny for your thoughts, Laura..
Hello encore. I think you need to have a base in the pot at least, so some kind of rack to protect the bottles. And, as long as they're not bobbing around banging into each other, the jars should be OK. I wonder about wrapping the jars in tea towels to protect them. As long as they're simmering up to temperature, it should be no problem. You'd just have to dry some tea towels afterwards!
I’ve always just vaccum sealed whole romas in plastic bags and chucked them in the freezer. You’ve convinced me to try canning some as well. Do you have an opinion on the relative merits of each method of preserving?
Thanks. Although we have been canning for years, your post and videos are fabulous. We are Roma fans but honestly, any tomatoes if freshly canned are always lovely. We can sauce too which is terrific but takes longer reducing a substantial volume of fruit. The advantage is obvious—fast prep in middle of winter. We’ve (my N) has done salsas too. We have added peppers and chilies to our garden where geraniums used to dominate. Xxo
Hi Laura! I love this method and I also love the annual tradition of dealing with a huge amount of harvest. One thing to note, canning/jar companies have confirmed that new lids no longer need to be hot! They have updated the rubber ring material and it performs better when at room temperature before closing each jar. Hope this helps!
Thank you, Laura, for this detailed video. I can and found this helpful. I have never seen this method and I'm quite intrigued! Peeling the skins off and putting the tomatoes in whole and then adding a tsp of lemon juice! Holy romas! : ) I have never seen unboiled tomatoes go into the jar and I want to know if I can taste the lemon. I have got to try this for my personal supply of these wonders of nature. I am going to get another 1/2 bushel this weekend and give it a go. I've already done 4 bushels with my electric tomato processer and I boil off the water until I get 8 - 14 jars / bushel!! My kids and sister like a thicker/passata type consistency (8-10 ish jars per bushel) and I like it like you would get from a can of tomatoes from the supermarket and pureed them. 14-16 jars/bushel. I got so frustrated with the length of time it takes for the thicker ones that, for the 3rd bushel, I decided to syphon off the juice and can the juice instead of boiling it off. Now I have jars of fresh tomato juice to add to soups. I'm not going to make the thicker variety next year. My dear family can take them or leave them. Why can't they cook them down when making their bolognese, chili, or soups!!!
Hi. You don't taste the lemon. I think it's really a question of balancing acidity for food security reasons. Also, these are canned in a boiling water bath for 45 minutes once they're in the jar, so they do get cooked that way.
Hats off to you Laura, that is a massive project! When I lived in Vancouver, a small group of gals would annually get together to make delicious salsa in a farm sized kitchen. It was a whole day affair with lots of chatter, chips and beer. I have fond memories of that and now pluck my romas and freeze them in small bags. Maybe I'll can a few liters this year, your post is so inspiring and I agree the taste is wonderful.
Somehow watching and reading your post about canning tomatoes made it seem very doable. I’ve always shied away from canning but I think I might give this a try. I love to cook and batch cook. Seeing my freezer filled with meals at the ready is very satisfying. I do keep a fairly well stocked pantry of store bought items, but, having home made staples… now that is the prize!
I loved watching your process and the sweet interview! Thanks for sharing each step. 51 is a bit intimidating but I may just grab a couple pounds of Roma’s at the farmers market this weekend and try it myself. I have the tools - always shy away. I shall not be intimidated this year. Tis the season! 🍅
Thank you so much for this video! I want to can tomatoes this year and you explain the process perfectly. Now I am ready to tackle a bushel of tomatoes from our local farmer's market.
This message is right on time as I was going to use the Farmer’s Almanac method and it seemed a bit scary. Thanks for the video as it’s a huge help! This summer I have canned raspberry, blackberry and plum jams. I’ve started using a sieve to refine some of the jars - esp the plums.
Keep the good content coming - I appreciate it! Happy end of summer 😊
If I don't have a Mason jar holder, can I still pack my tomato jars one against the other without cracking the jars? Must I leave a gap between the bottom of the pot and the jars? Probably, to be safe. A penny for your thoughts, Laura..
Hello encore. I think you need to have a base in the pot at least, so some kind of rack to protect the bottles. And, as long as they're not bobbing around banging into each other, the jars should be OK. I wonder about wrapping the jars in tea towels to protect them. As long as they're simmering up to temperature, it should be no problem. You'd just have to dry some tea towels afterwards!
I’ve always just vaccum sealed whole romas in plastic bags and chucked them in the freezer. You’ve convinced me to try canning some as well. Do you have an opinion on the relative merits of each method of preserving?
Thanks. Although we have been canning for years, your post and videos are fabulous. We are Roma fans but honestly, any tomatoes if freshly canned are always lovely. We can sauce too which is terrific but takes longer reducing a substantial volume of fruit. The advantage is obvious—fast prep in middle of winter. We’ve (my N) has done salsas too. We have added peppers and chilies to our garden where geraniums used to dominate. Xxo
Very nice. And, interesting you prefer Romas, too...
Hi Laura! I love this method and I also love the annual tradition of dealing with a huge amount of harvest. One thing to note, canning/jar companies have confirmed that new lids no longer need to be hot! They have updated the rubber ring material and it performs better when at room temperature before closing each jar. Hope this helps!
I swap out the lids for the Non-BPA kind. Not sure if that makes a difference?
Thank you, Laura, for this detailed video. I can and found this helpful. I have never seen this method and I'm quite intrigued! Peeling the skins off and putting the tomatoes in whole and then adding a tsp of lemon juice! Holy romas! : ) I have never seen unboiled tomatoes go into the jar and I want to know if I can taste the lemon. I have got to try this for my personal supply of these wonders of nature. I am going to get another 1/2 bushel this weekend and give it a go. I've already done 4 bushels with my electric tomato processer and I boil off the water until I get 8 - 14 jars / bushel!! My kids and sister like a thicker/passata type consistency (8-10 ish jars per bushel) and I like it like you would get from a can of tomatoes from the supermarket and pureed them. 14-16 jars/bushel. I got so frustrated with the length of time it takes for the thicker ones that, for the 3rd bushel, I decided to syphon off the juice and can the juice instead of boiling it off. Now I have jars of fresh tomato juice to add to soups. I'm not going to make the thicker variety next year. My dear family can take them or leave them. Why can't they cook them down when making their bolognese, chili, or soups!!!
Hi. You don't taste the lemon. I think it's really a question of balancing acidity for food security reasons. Also, these are canned in a boiling water bath for 45 minutes once they're in the jar, so they do get cooked that way.
Hats off to you Laura, that is a massive project! When I lived in Vancouver, a small group of gals would annually get together to make delicious salsa in a farm sized kitchen. It was a whole day affair with lots of chatter, chips and beer. I have fond memories of that and now pluck my romas and freeze them in small bags. Maybe I'll can a few liters this year, your post is so inspiring and I agree the taste is wonderful.
I love the idea of a whole day of pickling with friends!
Somehow watching and reading your post about canning tomatoes made it seem very doable. I’ve always shied away from canning but I think I might give this a try. I love to cook and batch cook. Seeing my freezer filled with meals at the ready is very satisfying. I do keep a fairly well stocked pantry of store bought items, but, having home made staples… now that is the prize!
I loved watching your process and the sweet interview! Thanks for sharing each step. 51 is a bit intimidating but I may just grab a couple pounds of Roma’s at the farmers market this weekend and try it myself. I have the tools - always shy away. I shall not be intimidated this year. Tis the season! 🍅
Thank you so much for this video! I want to can tomatoes this year and you explain the process perfectly. Now I am ready to tackle a bushel of tomatoes from our local farmer's market.
All the best of luck! You'll have fun.
This message is right on time as I was going to use the Farmer’s Almanac method and it seemed a bit scary. Thanks for the video as it’s a huge help! This summer I have canned raspberry, blackberry and plum jams. I’ve started using a sieve to refine some of the jars - esp the plums.
Keep the good content coming - I appreciate it! Happy end of summer 😊
Good luck! And do report!