Tomato Canning

[Ridgerunner]

@heirloomgal I'll stick this here, seems like @flowerbug is suddenly against hijacking! (That chair emoji means that is a joke.)

There are many different recipes to can tomato products. Tomatoes, juice, sauces, puree, salsa, and who knows what else. You need to find a recipe for what product you are canning. The Ball Blue Book is the bible for canning. Do an online search for "Ball tomato recipes" or something more specific.

The pH of the product determines how you can it, pressure canning or water bath method. If the pH is low enough you can water bath but a high pH means you need to pressure can it. There are two elements to pH. Some tomatoes are low acid, some high. That has nothing to do with color. Which varieties of tomatoes are you using? The other element is that with many products like sauce or salsa you add things other than tomatoes. These additions may not necessarily be low acid, they can raise the pH. The traditional way to lower the pH of a product is to add more acid. Lemon juice is the most common. To me that does not affect the flavor at all, but I'm not a delicate little flower with supersensitive taste buds. (That's another joke)

Part of the recipe is how long to process it. For the water bath method that's a length of time based on your height above sea level and whether it is a pint or quart jar. All you are trying to do is seal the jars. For a pressure canning method the time you need to process it is based on the density of the product. You are raising the core temperature of the product to 240 degrees F to kill the organism that can cause botulism. The denser the product the longer that takes. I'm not going to mention specific times (can't remember for sure) but it takes cream style corn about a half hour longer than whole kernel corn. So read the recipe. The low acidity with pressure canning prevents botulism from growing.

Now your specific questions

Were the jars only washed in the sink, or do you have to sterilize them first in boiling water? Do you need to sterilize the spoon for pushing out the bubbles?

The acidity with water bath canning and the 240 F with pressure canning is only about botulism. Heating it up will kill some other microbes but some, like mold, can survive. The reason botulism is the focus is that botulism is clear and odorless, you can't tell that it is there. You can see mold if it is growing.

Sterilize means to heat it up so hot that you kill everything. That would require temperatures hotter than boiling water. We are not going to do that. What you have to rely on is cleanliness. Wash everything in hot soapy water. I run my canning jars through the dishwasher. When I can anything I spend a lot of time washing things, either cleaning up messes I make or getting things clean for the canning process.

I don't use a spoon to release the air bubbles. For quarts and some not so chunky things I use a plastic chopstick. For chunky things like green beans in pints I use a plastic knife I got at a fast food place.

Were the chopped tomatoes cooked for long before being put in the jars?

Depends on the recipe.

What is 'finger tight'?

Hard to describe, some of this comes from experience. In the canning process some liquid escapes from inside the jar, often in the form of steam, so that when it cools off a vacuum is formed inside the jar so that rubber seal will seal. So you want the lid to be loose enough that the liquid or steam can escape but not loose enough that the contents empty out or water comes in when it cools. If you crank it down too tightly the steam or liquid can't escape so the lid gets kinked or distorted from the pressure. It won't seal properly. So you tighten it with your fingertips, not cranking down with your palm. Your finger tight might be a little different from mine but it isn't an exact science.

Part of this is the air gap. The recipe will tell you if you need to have a 1/4", 1/2", or 1" air gap. Follow the recipe.

I'm lost after this point. What did you do with the jars and that pot of boiling water, put them in to sit on the bottom?

The canner comes with a rack' I'll include a photo of mine. This sets in the bottom of the canner with the jars sitting on top of it. When I pressure can pints I often stack them with this rack in between. If the jars were sitting on the flat bottom of the canner they'd probably break. This rack allows water or steam to go all around the jars.

When you mention the stovetop being hot so not likely to crack (the jars I think), do you mean the jars are hot sitting on the hot stovetop? (you and I have the same type of glass top stove)

I'm not sure what they are talking about. It could be different things. You want the jars to be somewhat warm so when you set them in the hot water or the hot canner they don't break. I'm sure you are familiar with the concept of cold glass shattering if you put it in hot water. So you are trying to avoid that.

That flat glass stovetop can cause issues too. The canner can be heavy, is the glass stovetop strong enough to support it? Another possible problem is that the bottom of the canner sitting on that flat eye might trap heat down there, get it hot enough to burn out the wiring in the eye. With a glass stovetop you need to contact the manufacturer and see what they say abut canning on it. They may say no way, it may be fine, or they may have a rack they want you to use. In today's world if you call you may get somebody that doesn't have a clue what you are asking about. If you get that feeling you might want to talk to someone else or send an e-mail.

I understand the first time or two can be scary. Once you get used to the process a lot of that uneasiness should go away. It's just following a recipe. You can do that.

 

[heirloomgal]

@heirloomgal I'll stick this here, seems like @flowerbug is suddenly against hijacking! (That chair emoji means that is a joke.)

There are many different recipes to can tomato products. Tomatoes, juice, sauces, puree, salsa, and who knows what else. You need to find a recipe for what product you are canning. The Ball Blue Book is the bible for canning. Do an online search for "Ball tomato recipes" or something more specific.

The pH of the product determines how you can it, pressure canning or water bath method. If the pH is low enough you can water bath but a high pH means you need to pressure can it. There are two elements to pH. Some tomatoes are low acid, some high. That has nothing to do with color. Which varieties of tomatoes are you using? The other element is that with many products like sauce or salsa you add things other than tomatoes. These additions may not necessarily be low acid, they can raise the pH. The traditional way to lower the pH of a product is to add more acid. Lemon juice is the most common. To me that does not affect the flavor at all, but I'm not a delicate little flower with supersensitive taste buds. (That's another joke)

Part of the recipe is how long to process it. For the water bath method that's a length of time based on your height above sea level and whether it is a pint or quart jar. All you are trying to do is seal the jars. For a pressure canning method the time you need to process it is based on the density of the product. You are raising the core temperature of the product to 240 degrees F to kill the organism that can cause botulism. The denser the product the longer that takes. I'm not going to mention specific times (can't remember for sure) but it takes cream style corn about a half hour longer than whole kernel corn. So read the recipe. The low acidity with pressure canning prevents botulism from growing.

Now your specific questions

Were the jars only washed in the sink, or do you have to sterilize them first in boiling water? Do you need to sterilize the spoon for pushing out the bubbles?

The acidity with water bath canning and the 240 F with pressure canning is only about botulism. Heating it up will kill some other microbes but some, like mold, can survive. The reason botulism is the focus is that botulism is clear and odorless, you can't tell that it is there. You can see mold if it is growing.

Sterilize means to heat it up so hot that you kill everything. That would require temperatures hotter than boiling water. We are not going to do that. What you have to rely on is cleanliness. Wash everything in hot soapy water. I run my canning jars through the dishwasher. When I can anything I spend a lot of time washing things, either cleaning up messes I make or getting things clean for the canning process.

I don't use a spoon to release the air bubbles. For quarts and some not so chunky things I use a plastic chopstick. For chunky things like green beans in pints I use a plastic knife I got at a fast food place.

Were the chopped tomatoes cooked for long before being put in the jars?

Depends on the recipe.

What is 'finger tight'?

Hard to describe, some of this comes from experience. In the canning process some liquid escapes from inside the jar, often in the form of steam, so that when it cools off a vacuum is formed inside the jar so that rubber seal will seal. So you want the lid to be loose enough that the liquid or steam can escape but not loose enough that the contents empty out or water comes in when it cools. If you crank it down too tightly the steam or liquid can't escape so the lid gets kinked or distorted from the pressure. It won't seal properly. So you tighten it with your fingertips, not cranking down with your palm. Your finger tight might be a little different from mine but it isn't an exact science.

Part of this is the air gap. The recipe will tell you if you need to have a 1/4", 1/2", or 1" air gap. Follow the recipe.

I'm lost after this point. What did you do with the jars and that pot of boiling water, put them in to sit on the bottom?

The canner comes with a rack' I'll include a photo of mine. This sets in the bottom of the canner with the jars sitting on top of it. When I pressure can pints I often stack them with this rack in between. If the jars were sitting on the flat bottom of the canner they'd probably break. This rack allows water or steam to go all around the jars.


View attachment 44143

When you mention the stovetop being hot so not likely to crack (the jars I think), do you mean the jars are hot sitting on the hot stovetop? (you and I have the same type of glass top stove)

I'm not sure what they are talking about. It could be different things. You want the jars to be somewhat warm so when you set them in the hot water or the hot canner they don't break. I'm sure you are familiar with the concept of cold glass shattering if you put it in hot water. So you are trying to avoid that.

That flat glass stovetop can cause issues too. The canner can be heavy, is the glass stovetop strong enough to support it? Another possible problem is that the bottom of the canner sitting on that flat eye might trap heat down there, get it hot enough to burn out the wiring in the eye. With a glass stovetop you need to contact the manufacturer and see what they say abut canning on it. They may say no way, it may be fine, or they may have a rack they want you to use. In today's world if you call you may get somebody that doesn't have a clue what you are asking about. If you get that feeling you might want to talk to someone else or send an e-mail.

I understand the first time or two can be scary. Once you get used to the process a lot of that uneasiness should go away. It's just following a recipe. You can do that.

THANK YOU @Ridgerunner !

There is LOTS in there that I had no idea about. Including, my stove possibly not being compatible. That is definitely something to find out before trying canning, not after. I googled botulism, and wow, that is serious stuff. Lots to learn about this. But there are so many people who do canning, and I hear very little about botulism, so it seems like most people are successfully preventing contamination.

And this -
"To me that does not affect the flavor at all, but I'm not a delicate little flower with supersensitive taste buds."



Haven't laughed that hard on TEG in awhile.

 

[flowerbug]

@heirloomgal I'll stick this here, seems like @flowerbug is suddenly against hijacking! (That chair emoji means that is a joke.)

...
The pH of the product determines how you can it, pressure canning or water bath method. If the pH is low enough you can water bath but a high pH means you need to pressure can it. There are two elements to pH. Some tomatoes are low acid, some high. That has nothing to do with color. Which varieties of tomatoes are you using? The other element is that with many products like sauce or salsa you add things other than tomatoes. These additions may not necessarily be low acid, they

i would word that "These additions may not be acidic" instead...

can raise the pH. The traditional way to lower the pH of a product is to add more acid. Lemon juice is the most common. To me that does not affect the flavor at all, but I'm not a delicate little flower with supersensitive taste buds. (That's another joke)

citric acid, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), vinegars ((the acid in vinegar is acetic acid) there are many kinds - some of them very yummy additions to a recipe) and probably other acidic things available to consider for this purpose.

i'm not sure if @heirloomgal is familiar with the pH scale, but the lower on the scale you go the more acidic something is and the higher on the scale you go the more basic (aka alkaline) it is with neutral being ph 7 (halfway between 0 and 14). for safety in BWB canning and to avoid risks of botulism you want things in a low enough pH range of acidity 4.6 or below.

here is a reference list for acidity of items and some good comments to ponder:

Master List of Typical pH and Acid Content of Fruits and Vegetables for Home Canning and Preserving

How to Make xxx

www.pickyourown.org

Part of the recipe is how long to process it. For the water bath method that's a length of time based on your height above sea level and whether it is a pint or quart jar. All you are trying to do is seal the jars. For a pressure canning method the time you need to process it is based on the density of the product. You are raising the core temperature of the product to 240 degrees F to kill the organism that can cause botulism. The denser the product the longer that takes. I'm not going to mention specific times (can't remember for sure) but it takes cream style corn about a half hour longer than whole kernel corn. So read the recipe. The low acidity with pressure canning prevents botulism from growing.

Now your specific questions

Were the jars only washed in the sink, or do you have to sterilize them first in boiling water? Do you need to sterilize the spoon for pushing out the bubbles?

The acidity with water bath canning and the 240 F with pressure canning is only about botulism. Heating it up will kill some other microbes but some, like mold, can survive. The reason botulism is the focus is that botulism is clear and odorless, you can't tell that it is there. You can see mold if it is growing.

Sterilize means to heat it up so hot that you kill everything. That would require temperatures hotter than boiling water. We are not going to do that. What you have to rely on is cleanliness. Wash everything in hot soapy water. I run my canning jars through the dishwasher. When I can anything I spend a lot of time washing things, either cleaning up messes I make or getting things clean for the canning process.

I don't use a spoon to release the air bubbles. For quarts and some not so chunky things I use a plastic chopstick. For chunky things like green beans in pints I use a plastic knife I got at a fast food place.

sterilize takes quite a bit of effort, that is why BWB in combination with high enough acidity (low enough pH) is much easier to accomplish. if you want sterile for higher pH (more alkaline) foods then you must pressure can or process foods a very long time to kill off everything in them that might cause issues. it is very hard to do, when Mom used to oven can low acid items she would put things in the oven for hours and hours. that's just not a very good use of energy and time these days IMO. i will only do high enough acid items.

Were the chopped tomatoes cooked for long before being put in the jars?

Depends on the recipe.

right, for plain tomatoes i just heat them up to the boiling point and then they go into jars that have been heated up a bit (warmed with hot water from the faucet is how i do that).

What is 'finger tight'?

Hard to describe, some of this comes from experience. In the canning process some liquid escapes from inside the jar, often in the form of steam, so that when it cools off a vacuum is formed inside the jar so that rubber seal will seal. So you want the lid to be loose enough that the liquid or steam can escape but not loose enough that the contents empty out or water comes in when it cools. If you crank it down too tightly the steam or liquid can't escape so the lid gets kinked or distorted from the pressure. It won't seal properly. So you tighten it with your fingertips, not cranking down with your palm. Your finger tight might be a little different from mine but it isn't an exact science.

finger tight for me is to turn the ring until i get some resistance and then a quarter turn more. yes, there is a certain feel to it and it is best demonstrated in person but eventually you'll just do it automagically.

after filling the jar i wipe the rim with a clean cloth to make sure the lid and rim of the jar are in good contact for sealing during BWB processing.

Part of this is the air gap. The recipe will tell you if you need to have a 1/4", 1/2", or 1" air gap. Follow the recipe.

I'm lost after this point. What did you do with the jars and that pot of boiling water, put them in to sit on the bottom?

The canner comes with a rack' I'll include a photo of mine. This sets in the bottom of the canner with the jars sitting on top of it. When I pressure can pints I often stack them with this rack in between. If the jars were sitting on the flat bottom of the canner they'd probably break. This rack allows water or steam to go all around the jars.


View attachment 44143

When you mention the stovetop being hot so not likely to crack (the jars I think), do you mean the jars are hot sitting on the hot stovetop? (you and I have the same type of glass top stove)

I'm not sure what they are talking about. It could be different things. You want the jars to be somewhat warm so when you set them in the hot water or the hot canner they don't break. I'm sure you are familiar with the concept of cold glass shattering if you put it in hot water. So you are trying to avoid that.

That flat glass stovetop can cause issues too. The canner can be heavy, is the glass stovetop strong enough to support it? Another possible problem is that the bottom of the canner sitting on that flat eye might trap heat down there, get it hot enough to burn out the wiring in the eye. With a glass stovetop you need to contact the manufacturer and see what they say abut canning on it. They may say no way, it may be fine, or they may have a rack they want you to use. In today's world if you call you may get somebody that doesn't have a clue what you are asking about. If you get that feeling you might want to talk to someone else or send an e-mail.

I understand the first time or two can be scary. Once you get used to the process a lot of that uneasiness should go away. It's just following a recipe. You can do that.

the point of the rack in the bottom of the BWB bath is to keep the heat transfer uniform (from the water) if the jar is right on the bottom of the pan then a lot more heat can be transmitted causing the contents to go way above boiling temperature - which can cause mayhem...

 

[baymule]

Jars-I wash with hot soapy water and rinse well. Or I run them through the dishwasher. I run my finger around the rim to check for cracks or chips. When I'm, ready to fill jars, I set them in the sink and fill with boiling water to make the jars hot. That's for that hot/cold thing. I have a pan with lids and rings in it and I fill that with boiling water too. That softens up the rubber seal for a better seal, plus I like the idea nd killing maybe some germs on the lids. LOL I put tongs in it so I can get the lids out and not burn my fingers. I use a canning funnel, It helps keep food off the rim of the jar. I dump out the hot water and fill with product. I get a paper towel and wipe the rim, moving the paper towel to a clean spot for each jar. Then i put the lid on.

Glass top stoves and pressure canners generally are not friends and the stove top will break. Lots of people use the fish fryers for outdoor use with the small propane tanks. Usually because canning takes place in the summer and they don't want to heat up the house. Because it is a gas flame on the burner, it must be shielded from wind to keep the flame and the pressure steady. Just google propane fish fryer and you'll see what I mean.

 

[baymule]

Canning supplies kit. Available in Walmart, online, usually less than $20. I only use the tongs, funnel and jar lifter. Personally I don't need the other doo-dads. LOL

 

[flowerbug]

Canning supplies kit. Available in Walmart, online, usually less than $20. I only use the tongs, funnel and jar lifter. Personally I don't need the other doo-dads. LOL

View attachment 44172

i only use a funnel. the rest of those i don't have. for getting the lids out of hot water i just use a spoon. mainly the big thing with handling lids is to not scratch the coating so you want something dull enough that it won't scratch. a popsicle stick would also probably work ok. i also soften the lids in some hot water, but i don't put the rings in there since i don't want them to get wet and rust any more than they already do. i do daydream about getting some stainless steel rings sometimes, but we give away so many jars of stuff that i'd hate to give away things like that by accident.

 

[ducks4you]

MY two cents (while I delay going out again in the humidity to weed, etc. today!!
I have a glass topped stove and I do not worry about it cracking.
The instructions tell you to "Pick up the pressure canner when finished and remove it from the heat."
That means no scooting it off of the burner, Physically pick it up and gently put it down, either on a cool (bc the glass top won't Have a Cold burner, just a cooler burner) burner, or a spot on the counter/kitchen table with something that won't be cold and create an extreme drop in temperature.
I move my pressure canner, when the canning is complete, to another burner.
Then...I leave it, until the next morning. Even Then, it can still be warm.
Since I have had great success hot water bath canning tomatoes, when the produce is coming in like gangbusters, I use a hot water bath canner.
I really Don't like, however, how the water boils over when I hot water bath can in quarts, so quarts work best in the pressure canner.
Still, even with the extra rack, I can only can 14 quarts/day.
STILL, it would be a super large harvest to can 14 quarts in a day.
When I replace this stove I AM thinking seriously about getting a gas one. We have natural gas that powers our boiler and our generator, so the changeover is possible.

 

[baymule]

There is no way I can pick up my pressure canner when it’s full. I named it The Beast. It’s heavy when it is empty!