First canning attempt

[Avalon1984]

This will be my first attempt on canning and I thought Id ask a few questions before I ruin something

I have
o 15 lbs of tomatoes that I will make into tomato sauce- Id like to can the finished product
o I can buy some canning jars and lids at the store
o A big pot to boil water in to sanitize the jars

I need:
o To know what else I need
o How long do I need to leave the jars in hot water to seal them if anything?
o How are the jars sealed?

Thank you whomever could give me an answer.

 

[moolie]

Tomatoes are a great thing to start canning with

How I do it:

Wash tomatoes in cool water, let dry on kitchen towel on countertop while I quarter and add to large pot on stove. Cook on medium-high to high while crushing each layer of tomato quarters with potato masher. You can peel the tomatoes prior to cutting and cooking/crushing, or just get it all cooked down (will be very juicy) and run through a food mill, tomato press, Squeezo strainer etc. which will separate the pulp and juice from the seeds and skins. I have a tomato press like this .

Cook tomato pulp/juice mixture down till it is the right consistency, add any dried herbs you like (I can it plain with a bit of salt and then add any herbs etc. when I use it so I can use it for pasta, pizza, tacos etc. as needed) while you get your jars ready.

Wash jars and rings in dishwasher or in hot soapy water and rinse well with hot water. You don't need to sterilize them since your processing time will be over 20 minutes, but I like to then heat them up in the canner as I'm heating the water as the jars need to be hot anyway. Once the canner water is boiling, ladle some hot water into a bowl and put your flat lids into it to soften.

Then take each jar out of the water and fill it with sauce to leave 1/2 inch headspace (measure from very top of jar--for tomatoes it's pretty much exactly half of the portion of the jar that is threaded that you will leave as headspace). Tomatoes are borderline almost not acidic enough for water bath canning, so it is recommended that you add 1 tablespoon of 5% acetic acid vinegar per pint, or 2 tablespoons per quart, or a quarter of a teaspoon of powdered citric acid per pint, half a teaspoon per quart to each jar before filling to ensure acidity. Wipe the rim of the jar so it is clean and put on a flat lid, then a ring--only tighten it till just past resistance as you don't want it on too tight. Put that jar back into the canner and do the same for the rest of the jars.

Bring the water back up to a boil with the canner lid on, once it is at full boil start timing: 35 minutes for pints, 40 minutes for quarts. I have to add 10 minutes to those processing times for my altitude (3500') so check a website like this one for details on adjusting for altitude (and all the basics!)

Once the processing time is up, turn off the heat and carefully remove the lid tilting it away from you so you don't get burnt from the steam. Use jar lifter tongs, or very strong kitchen tong with rubber bands wrapped around them to "grab" the jars and move them without tilting them to a towel padded surface. Leave the jars there for 24 hours, test the seals (sealed lids curve downward and you can gently lift each jar by it's lid after removing the rings to ensure that it is sealed). Wipe jars and label (sharpie on the lid works well--type of food plus date canned) and store jars without the rings to keep them from getting rusty from trapped water. Store jars in a cool dark place--heat and light shorten the shelf-life of canned foods.

There's a great pdf file on how to do this here and a video here

Have fun!

 

[JRmom]

One more tip... make sure the water in your canning pot is at least 1" over the top of your jars.

Oh, and if you use just a regular stock pot without a rack, put a dish towel in the bottom of the pot.

 

[TanksHill]

this website is a wealth of information and really coves everything.

g

http://www.pickyourown.org/index.htm

 

[AnnaRaven]

I recommend getting a canning kit which you can buy at almost any store that sells canning supplies. It's all really useful stuff and makes canning a lot easier.

Also, the Ball Blue Book of canning is great if you can borrow it from the library or buy your own. And finally, there's a great canning email list on yahoo groups, search for "canning2".

 

[mrscoyote]

I recommend starting here. http://www.freshpreserving.com/home.aspx

Good luck and enjoy the journey.

 

[k15n1]

A jar lifter and a magic wand are really convenient.

 

[Avalon1984]

Thank you all for your very helpful advice. Comes to show me what I didnt know yet. I dont think I have any 5% vinegar in the house so canning is off for tonight. I may stop by the farm store and see if they have a starter kit for people like me who are not very good at cooking or any sorts of food preservation but freezing

 

[abifae]

I started with lacto fermenting and last night I did my first canning. It was pretty fun. I recommend finding someone who knows what they are doing and offer yourself to help out

 

[Avalon1984]

I started with lacto fermenting and last night I did my first canning. It was pretty fun. I recommend finding someone who knows what they are doing and offer yourself to help out

Hey Abi,

I hear you. I wish there was somebody out there that could show me physically how it's done but I am out in nowhereland. I even had to teach myself how to butcher a chicken. I thought canning would be a bit easier but sounds like it is not. Sounds like I need to go back to freezing for tonight.