Can I can "table tomatoes"?

[Shiloh Acres]

Hi all!

I started out on BYH and BYC but I had to make my way here. I've done some limited gardening before, but I'm trying to increase that, and along with that I have a LOT to learn!

I've really been wondering about my tomatoes. I wanted to order some paste-type seeds, but it was a busy spring (I moved and trying to establish the animal fencing, pens, coops, etc. AND put in a garden was overwhelming. But I bought a variety of seedlings and did get a small garden in. I ended up with maybe 30 or so tomato plants, and most survived, so it didn't seem to make sense to put in other types later.

I lost my heritage types, but I have plenty of Celebrity, Early Girl, Better Boy, and Sweet 100. At least I should ... I managed to keep ahead of the evil hornworms and the goats didn't eat the garden when the gate somehow opened yesterday. I'm getting a few tomatoes but the plants are loaded with green ones. I can't wait!

My question is -- I cook with tomatoes a LOT and I REALLY wanted to can some for sauces, stewed tomatoes, etc. Will I be able to use any of those types? I LOVE fresh tomatoes, and I can always give some away and maybe sell some, but I'd really love to be able to use them later. I can adapt to whatever preparation and storage method needed. I just wasn't sure if you can with these types? This may be a really dumb question, LOL, but I'd really like to know?

Thanks so much!!!

 

[ducks4you]

, Shiloh Acres!

Nice to see you over here, too!!
I have been gardening for about 12 years now--this year is my most serious venture, and I've grown tomatoes for all 12 of them.

I can EVERY tomato that tastes good. I had an awful year in 2009. I RAN OUT of my own jars of tomatoes in APRIL of this year!!!
This is first time that has happened since I started canning about 5 years ago. If you just want to open a jar and cook with it, the type of tomato plant is not crucial. It's a little late to plant anything new NOW, anyway, UNLESS your gardening center has some with fruit in pots on clearance.

IF you want to take the TIME, and it is time-consuming, to make your own paste and sauce, then you're going to need paste-type tomatoes.

I prefer to use my Better Boys, Big Boys and any Heritage that I can harvest, which is much lower harvest than the hybreds, for general cooking.
I prefer to use my Roma's for spaghetti and lasagne sauce, which I mix with tomato paste (from a can--no time to make it, as long as I live in the country and take care of my livestock.)
Sometimes, in the dead of winter, I'll open up a 1/2 pint of my tomatoes and just pigout on it. I can guarantee you, they taste JUST like I just picked them off of the vine!!

 

[Shiloh Acres]

Oh, THANK YOU for that information! I'm going to SO love it if I can have tomatoes even in winter. It kills me to buy storebought tomatoes with all the flavor of styrofoam, and half the time they ate $3 or $4 a pound in winter.

I think I have 4 or 5 Better Boys out there, so I'll try to use those to put up for cooking.

I do buy tomato sauce in a jar, but really would rather make my own. I have to wait till next year? Ah well. I do have a greenhouse of sorts. Right now it's just a frame made from a give-away ladder rack on CL. I want to figure out how to use it too. It's not going to be anything fancy though -- just a large frame wrapped in plastic.

I've gone from less sauce and more just tomatoes in cooking. How do you do yours? Especially wondering about the ones that tasted fresh! Boil them and can them? I've also wondered if I can freeze fresh tomatoes. I freeze a lot of strawberries and blueberries to put in smoothies and deserts and I love just eating frozen blueberries. . I was kinda hoping there's a way to save tomatoes without cooking them, but I'm not sure if they can be used any way other than in cooking so not sure if there's a point.

Thanks again, and thanks for the welcome too.

 

[hoodat]

You can blanch and then freeze tomatos in plastic bags or containers but to my taste they aren't as good tasting as canned tomatos. Tomatos can be water bathed so it isn't all that much trouble. I prefer to can mine under pressure (10 pounds - 15 minutes) I think they are best that way but it's just my opinion.

 

[Shiloh Acres]

Thanks, Hoodat!

I'm more interested in TASTE so I'll go with canned. My freezer is half full of frozen bottles for rabbits anyway but I have plenty of pantry space.

I'll probably have questions when it comes to that. I finally have a pressure cooker and I thought I could use it for canning. Today I made 3 batches of strawberry jam, but I'm afraid I chickened out and made freezer jam as I always have before.

It's still yummy anyway. Just gonna take some freezer space for about a year LOL. I'll put it in the back behind some meat.

Thanks again!

 

[hoodat]

Remember you can always can tomatos as is. Later in the year when you have more time on your hands you can open the jars and boil them down for tomato or spaghetti sauce.

 

[journey11]

I think just about any tomato makes for a good diced tomato, salsa or juice. The paste types really are superior for sauces though, because of their thickness and sugar content. I think you could pull it off with some of those you have listed, esp. celebrity, early girl and better boy--just leave out the watery seeds and simmer longer to get them thicker. (Now you couldn't get away with that for say, a Brandywine.) Bear in mind that some tomatoes are not acidic enough to really can properly and you may need to add lemon juice to bring down the pH. But I think for those you have listed you will be fine. I agree with Hoodat, the flavor is better canned. But they are still useful for stews and chili if you decide to freeze some.

ETA:

 

[Shiloh Acres]

Ah, thank you so much everyone!

Hopefully I will have enough tomatoes with 20 or so big bushes of those types to experiment and try all those things then. I've got some catch up reading to do here, but now I have a good starting place.

I would LOVE to get some sauce too, so I'll try that. And good to know I can cook them later. I watched my Grandma do tons of canning, but I wish I'd asked more questions. And I so wish I had her and Grandpa around to ask questions. I find myself now living a lot like they did, and I had no idea when I was a kid how much wisdom their way of life included. Soooo much I wish I could talk to them about!

Ah and salsa -- I can't wait to start making some. I at least got in peppers, though I missed onions and spices. I'll give it a go this year, so maybe I can do better next year.

Thanks again, everyone! . And thanks for the welcomes!

 

[Kim_NC]

Lot's of good replies alread here. I just wanted to say and add my 'vote' for using the varieties you have. I can any tomatoes we have available that don't get eaten fresh or sold at farmers markets. We actually prefer the non-Roma, non-paste-types in our salsas.

 

[ducks4you]

I usually DON'T recommend books, because we are ALL growing our own and trying to save money, but I will recommend that you buy yourself the Ball canning book. It is a classic. Every recipe I have tried in it has worked, including "Watermelon Pickles" and "Orange Marmelade."
http://www.ecookbooks.com/p-8087-ball-complete-book-of-home-preservi.aspx
This site can help you, too:
http://www.pickyourown.org/canningpubs.htm