Water Bath Canned Tomatoes
The Water Bath Canned Tomatoes method is the easiest way to preserve tomatoes
Equipment
- 1 Large stock pot Big enough to hold your jars plus 2" of head room
- 12 Ball jars Use as many and as many sizes as you need, but use fresh lids.
- Star San Optional sterilizer
Ingredients
- 10 lb Tomatoes As many tomatoes as you want
- ¼ tsp citric acid per jar
- 1-2 leaves basil, oregano, thyme Optional, per can
Instructions
Blanching instructions
- Start by coring your tomatoes and scoring each with an X. Start a pot of water boiling, big enough to hold a batch of 5-6 tomatoes. Set up an equal size pot of cold water next to it.
- Boil tomatoes in batches for 60 seconds. Then move them to the cold water pot.
- After a minute in the cold water, remove the tomatoes and pull off their peels. Repeat the process until all tomatoes have had their peels removed.
Jar Filling Instructions
- Start by cleaning your jars with soap and water.
- Optionally, fill each jar with water and add a teaspoon of Star San, and let them sit for a couple minutes. Star san is a sterilization agent used by brewers to sterilize equipment. It's nice because it doesn’t need to be rinsed again, just dump the water out before adding tomatoes. You can also sterilize the lids and bands by submerging them in a bowl with star san and water.
- Make any final preparations for the tomatoes. Slice them, dice them, or jar them whole.
- Fill each jar up to a half inch of the rim. Use a knife to agitate and remove any air from the jar, and add more tomatoes if needed. The tomatoes should be submerged in liquid, add a bit more if needed.
- Add a quarter teaspoon of citric acid to each jar. If using lemon juice, just a full teaspoon per jar. Also add any fresh herbs like basil if you plan to include them
- Seal each jar with a fresh lid and band. Make sure the band is firmly attached, though not over tight.
Water Bath Instructions
- Prepare your pot for the water bath. Put a rubber spacer at the bottom of the pot to keep the jars from direct contact with the bottom of the pot. Then add your jars and fill the pot until the water level is a couple inches above the jar lids.
- Heat the pot on high heat until it reaches a boil, then reduce heat so that it stays boiling without boiling over. Follow the table up above for how long you need to boil for.
- If your water level drops too low during the boiling, carefully supplement with more boiling water.
- Once the boiling time has passed, carefully remove the jars from the pot and set them on hot pads or towels to cool overnight. You’ll hear “pop” sounds as they cool and the lids seal. Store the jars at room temperature and use as needed. Enjoy :)
