Canning Raw Pack Whole Tomatoes is my favorite way to bring back a little bit of summer during those long winter months.
There is nothing quite like eating a freshly picked, sun ripened tomato. My family is privileged enough to have a small backyard garden and a good section of it is dedicated to a variety of tomato plants – cherry, heirloom, and of course, the thick flesh Roma tomato, which is a great plum tomato to make Homemade Pizza Sauce.
Every year, there is this mad dash to maximize preservation of fruits and vegetables. It’s no wonder as everything in my garden ripens at once! It’s been a busy couple of weeks, from making Homemade Concord Grape Jelly, to Crock pot Vanilla Pear Butter, and some jars of Chunky Applesauce which will most likely end up as hostess gifts during the holiday season.
So, in an effort to preserve some of my backyard Romas, I spent an afternoon canning these wonderful plum tomatoes. They will be used for those hearty stews and chunky minestrone soups, appropriate comfort food for the winter. I would like to spend just a few minutes and share this simple process with all of you.
Before I get into the how to, I would just like to bring up a safety issue. As you probably know, when canning tomatoes (or any foods) the level of acidity will dictate the preservation method.
Although tomatoes have always been considered a high acid food, they have recently been flagged as being borderline as far as the pH is concerned (source NCHFP). Remember, a certain level of acidity (pH below 4.6) is required in order to prevent food borne illnesses, botulism for one.
So, like a good little canning soldier, I am following the recommendations. Just in case you are wondering, that means adding a tablespoon of concentrated lemon juice per pint of raw canned tomatoes; two tablespoons if you are using quarts. It is not recommended to use lemon juice (squeezed from a lemon) as lemons can vary in acidity.
Canning whole tomatoes by using a water bath method is not difficult, but following a couple of essential steps makes the whole process a lot easier and safer.
STEP 1: The PREPARATION of JARS and TOMATOES
- Canning jars need to be washed and sterilized (place in 225 ° F oven for at least 10 minutes). Leave them in the oven until ready to be filled up;
- Lids also need to be sterilized; just 10 minutes in simmering water is all it takes. Leave them in the water until you need them;
- The rings only need to be properly washed;
- Tomatoes need to be washed. Although any tomatoes can be used, the plum varieties (Roma tomatoes) are the best when it comes to canning. Remember to use tomatoes that are blemish free.
STEP 2: The PEELING of the WHOLE TOMATOES
- Score the tip of the tomato with an “x” OR just slice off the tip. Personally, I find that slicing the tip off allows for the tomato skin to just slip off once it has been blanched;
- Drop the tomatoes in a pot of boiling water for about 60 seconds;
- Remove tomatoes and place in a bowl to cool down (if you want, you can place them in an ice water bath);
- When cool enough to handle, peel off the skin.
STEP 3: The PACKING and CANNING TOMATOES
- Add one tablespoon of concentrated lemon juice per pint (2 tablespoons if using quarts);
- Fill each hot jar with peeled tomatoes and their juices;
- Leave ½ – ¾ inch head-space from the top;
- Remove air bubbles by running a knife along the side of the jar;
- Wipe the rims clean;
- Place a sterilized lid and screw on the bands until “finger tight”.
STEP 4: The PROCESSING of the CANNED WHOLE TOMATOES
- Place the sealed jars in a lukewarm water bath. Ensure the water is a couple of inches above the jars.
- Bring the water to a rolling boil and start the timing process. Please note that process times can vary based on your altitude. Please refer to this chart for recommendations. I will process my pint jars for about 85 minutes. GOOD TO KNOW: In order to prevent rough mineral deposits on the outside of your jars and on the inside of your water bath pot, pour about ½ cup of white vinegar in your water bath.
- Remove jars and allow to cool down before storing.
You’re done! When you hear the seals of the jar lids popping, you’ll know you’ve done a good job!
Recipe origins
As you can well imagine, Canning Raw Pack Whole Tomatoes, as well as making la conserva di pomodori (i.e. jarred tomato sauce) was a yearly ritual when I was growing up. As most Italians that immigrated to Montreal, my parents had a large vegetable garden which included tomatoes (technically a fruit 😉 )
There was, of course, the obligatory visit to the farms to hand-pick a few more bushels of Roma tomatoes… just in case. You need to know that la cantina was one of the most important rooms in the house and it had to be well-stocked!
And so it was, that as we washed and peeled and jarred tomatoes, stories of childhood memories and lessons of life were shared from one generation to another.
I often look back at those days and think not only were we preserving tomatoes, but creating lifelong memories.
Enjoy the rest of these wonderful summer like days.
THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.
Ciao for now,
Maria
★★★★★ If you have made this canned tomato recipe, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!
Recipe
Canning Raw Pack Whole Tomatoes
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Ingredients
- 13 pounds tomatoes preferably Roma
- 9 tablespoons concentrated lemon juice separated
Instructions
- Wash and score tomatoes.
- Blanch the tomatoes by dropping them in a pot of boiling water for about 60 seconds.
- Remove tomatoes and place in a bowl to cool down (if you want, you can place them in an ice water bath).
- Peel off the skin when cool enough to handle.
- Add concentrated lemon juice to jars (2 tablespoons per quart or 1 tablespoon per pint).
- Fill each hot (sterilized) jar with peeled tomatoes and their juices.
- Leave ½ – ¾ inch head-space from the top.
- Remove air bubbles by running a knife along the side of the jar.
- Wipe the rims clean.
- Place a sterilized lid and screw on the bands until “finger tight”.
- Process in hot water bath. Recommended process time for both pints and quarts is 85 minutes. Please note that process times can vary based on your altitude.
- Remove jars and allow to cool down before storing.
Notes
Nutrition
Catherine
I made the tomatoes in sterilized jar with lemon juice but didn’t have time to do the water-bath to process so I put tomatoes in the fridge for almost two days. Can I still process or should I throw them away?
Thanks so much!
Catherine
Maria
Hi Catherine, unfortunately, the water bath must be done within 24 hours. You can keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you have space in your freezer, they can be frozen.
Diane
Easy & hopefully successful. I may have not left enough headroom. 3 have “popped” out of the 7 quarts so far. What do I do if the others don’t seal?
Maria
Thanks for sharing Diane. Sometimes the “pop” is not there, but the seal is good. Press the center of the lid. Does it come back up when you press down? Or does it stay down? If it stays down, the seal is good.
If the seal “pops” back up when you press, refrigerate and use within 1 week. If you conclude that you do not have a proper seal, within the same day they were processed, you can also freeze the tomatoes.
I will occasionally get a bad seal. I simply transfer the content in a freezer bag and freeze. Please note there is no waiting period… this must be done the same day you process the tomatoes.
Hope this helps.
Linda
Easy to use
Maria
Thanks Linda.
Mike Mullin
I absolutely loved this article. I loved the easy breakdown of how to jar tomatoes and especially how you mention the nice warm memories of the past. it was nice how you mentioned having these sauces in the dark cold winter – comforting thought.
I just finished a bushel with my 6 yr old – our 4th time doing it (we do a very small amount each yr). I am in Toronto and have an Irish background and was always disappointed in my Italian friends for not continuing the tradition of sauce. I love driving though the neighborhoods and seeing families together making it on the last weeks of August and also the first 2 weeks of September.
Thanks so much,
Mike
Maria
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. I truly appreciate it Mike.
It always makes me happy to hear when kids are involved… this is how memories are made ♥
There really is nothing that compares to family traditions. Yes, the smells of fall in an Italian neighborhood.
Yesterday, my whole neighborhood smelled like tomato sauce… lol. We made our passata last weekend. Right now, my husband has 20 cases of wine fermenting in the garage! Cheers to you!
Casey
Thank you for including reputable references! Being new to canning, it’s very helpful to know where the information is coming from!
Maria
My pleasure Casey.
Paul
Hi! I’m assuming once the process is finish, the cans can be outside correct? What’s the approximately shelf life of the tomatoes? Thank you! Starting the process now! 🙂
Maria
Thanks for your interest, Paul. The shelf life is 1 year.
Michael J.
Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe.
Maria
My pleasure Michael!
Kathleen Browning
My tomatoes leaked when I pulled them out of the hot water bath are they still OK?
Maria
Sometimes that happens, according to what I have read on this topic if more than half of the contents leaked, refrigerate and use within 2-3 days. The tomatoes can also be frozen.
If the canning procedure was followed and the jars have sealed properly with minimal loss, they are safe to eat but the shelf life is reduced and the tomatoes might discolor with time. Plan to use these jars first. If you are not sure, I would freeze the contents… safety first.
Rhonda
Love easy to follow directions!
Maria
Thanks so much Rhonda!
Linda
If the jars don’t seal after processing, can I change the lids and process again?? These were pints of tomatoes.
Maria
Oh, I’m sorry to hear this.
Yes, according to this source. Be sure to re-process withing 24 hours.
Were the lids new?