When you find yourself with healthy tomato plants, you may have more tomatoes that you can eat fresh. Thankfully, processing tomatoes is pretty simple. Even if you’re not an experienced canner, tomato sauce and salsa are two very easy ways to preserve your abundant tomato harvest for later enjoyment.
Using a sled to
transport your tomatoes
keeps them from
squishing each other.
- Pick and transport
Over the years, I’ve learned one of my favorite ways to move delicate tomatoes is using a winter sled. Yeah, you can use boxes or shallow trays if you have them (or want to keep them and store them from year to year), but I always know where my sleds are. They’re durable, waterproof, and can transport a lot. There’s a lot of space for them to spread out, instead of stacking them, which keeps them from squishing each other.
- Wash
I tend to wash my tomatoes right away after picking. This allows me to use the ones with blemishes as quickly as possible. They don’t last long if they are damaged, and what better time to do something with your tomatoes than when they are vine-ripened and fresh?!
- Give your tomatoes a squeeze
The very fastest way to make sauce I found is to take your washed tomato, cut the stem out or off (or any blemishes – my rule of thumb is don’t put in anything you wouldn’t want to eat fresh) and then slit the tomato, and squeeze it over a compost bucket. This gets rid of most of the seeds along with a lot of the excess juice. Trust me there will be enough juice. I throw the squished tomato into my food processor and then a few pulses and hold like 10 seconds maybe, and voila, sauce. I don’t bother with blanching or removing skins.
- Choose a recipe
There are two go to recipes I have for tomatoes: Fiery Salsa and Basic Tomato Sauce. You can make marinara, or spaghetti sauce, or tomato juice, diced tomatoes, tomato soup or tomato paste (think Bubba Gump’s shrimp rant here), but these two recipes have served me well. With tomato sauce, the batches are done quickly and then you can decide later what you’re making for supper. Got a pot of chili on? Dump in a couple of jars of sauce. Want spaghetti? Heat sauce and add in some Italian seasoning or basil or whatever you like.
Whether you’re making sauce or salsa (or anything else), you’ll need to heat your product. Prepare the rest of your ingredients. Put everything together in a large stock pot (I prefer stainless steel) and get it just enough to be boiling (or cook longer to thicken to your desired consistency).
- Sterilize your jars
There are a few methods to sterilize your jars, but I’ve found this one kills two birds with one stone. My stove has four burners, so while my tomatoes are heating on one large burner, my canner is also heating up on the other large burner. Remember to pour in a quarter cup or so of white vinegar in the water which will prevent mineral deposits on your jars during processing.
Fill your canner up to the level of the rack when it’s resting on the rim and turn on medium-high heat. Put your jars top down in the rack and the steam rising from the water will heat and sterilize the jars. Reduce heat to simmer. There should be enough condensation inside the jars that they will be dripping back down into your simmering water. The jars will be hot, so don’t forget to use a potholder or your jar lifter – something – don’t burn your fingers!
- Heat your lids
I’ve read now that major lid manufacturers no longer require you to heat your lids, but it’s not hard to do, plus it sterilizes them. I just put the lids in a small saucepan on the back burner and heat them to simmering (not boiling). Use your lid lifter to grab them out as needed.
- Fill your jars
One at a time, take out a jar, fill it with your heated tomato delicacy to about an inch from the top of the jar. Wipe the rim with a clean, damp cloth, top with a lid, add a band (finger tip-tight; do not overtighten as this allows air to escape when processing) and then place on the rack – right side up this time. Repeat until all jars are filled or the rack is full. My canner rack holds 7 quart jars or 8 pint jars.
- Process your jars
Lower your rack with jars down into the simmering water. Make sure your jars and lids are completely submerged; covered by an inch or so of water. This is an IMPORTANT part of food safe water bath canning. There’s a pressure and air release trade out that are missed if you skip this step. Increase the heat and bring to a steady boil (not necessarily rolling); processing time begins when your water is boiling.
- Lift and rest your jars
Once your processing timer sounds, lift your rack with all the jars out of the water. Let your rack rest on the top of the canner for about 5 minutes; then carefully move your jars using your jar lifter and set them on a heat safe surface to rest for 12 hours before moving. I typically lay a towel out on the counter to set them on.
- Remove rings and store
Check your seals – the rings are NOT part of your seal. They should be removed for storage. You’ll want to wash the outside of the jars, since some juice escapes with the air and may leave a residue. Then move them all to a cool, dry and dark space to grab them from as needed (basement or pantry).
There’s really nothing as rewarding as going to your food storage area and busting out a jar of your homemade tomato whatever-you-made and sharing it with those you love. I’m not an expert or certified in canning, but many years of trial and error have given me the experience I feel I can share with you.
Steph Tvrdik is a farmer’s wife, mom of two boys and an entrepreneur who cares about our community and our world. She’s been in the marketing industry for over 20 years and is passionate about helping people, both personally and professionally.