There are two types of canning: hot water bath and pressure cooker canning. Hot water bath canning is easier and requires that what you preserve has a high acid content. Mike and I hot water canned tomatoes. Here's how we did it.
1. Cut and boil 'maters until they reach your desired thickness. We'll eventually use ours for sauce so we cooked them down for several hours and added some tomato paste. You should also add some salt for preservation. I added 3 tablespoons for every 16 quarts.
2. Run mason jars through dishwasher with very little detergent.
3. Preheat oven to 300, put jars in and reduce oven to 250.
4. Put lids in boiling water to activate glue.
5. Take jar from oven, place on an even surface covered with a towel. Fill jars with tomatoes, wipe the top clean, add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, place lid and rim. Leave 1/2 an inch at the top of the jar.
6. Fill your canning pot with four inches of water and boil. If you have an official canning pot, this would be up to the first indentation.
7. Put jars into wire basket of canning pot.
8. Once canning pot is full of jars, submerge the wire basket with jars in it. Add enough water so that there is one inch of water above jars. Gently boil jars for 45 minutes.
9. Pull cage up with jars in it. Let them sit above the hot water for five minutes.
10. Put jars somewhere near by to cool. Place them on a towel so the glass doesn't get shocked and break.
11. Once jars are cool remove the metal rims. Leaving the rims in place while you store your 'maters may cause rust.
You will hear the lids popping and sealing. This may occur during boiling or after. When you use the tomatoes you should have a hard time prying off the lid and hear a pop. This is an indication that they were properly sealed and safe to use.
During the process, be as clean as possible to avoid botulism, or as we say down here "wooly boogers". Wash your hands, avoid contact with the inside of the jar etc. True sterility is impossible, but do your best!
Store in a cool, dark place (such as a creepy basement) and enjoy for years to come.
1. Cut and boil 'maters until they reach your desired thickness. We'll eventually use ours for sauce so we cooked them down for several hours and added some tomato paste. You should also add some salt for preservation. I added 3 tablespoons for every 16 quarts.
2. Run mason jars through dishwasher with very little detergent.
3. Preheat oven to 300, put jars in and reduce oven to 250.
4. Put lids in boiling water to activate glue.
5. Take jar from oven, place on an even surface covered with a towel. Fill jars with tomatoes, wipe the top clean, add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, place lid and rim. Leave 1/2 an inch at the top of the jar.
6. Fill your canning pot with four inches of water and boil. If you have an official canning pot, this would be up to the first indentation.
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| Not our actual pot, but note the bottom indentation. That's where to fill the water up to. |
7. Put jars into wire basket of canning pot.
8. Once canning pot is full of jars, submerge the wire basket with jars in it. Add enough water so that there is one inch of water above jars. Gently boil jars for 45 minutes.
9. Pull cage up with jars in it. Let them sit above the hot water for five minutes.
10. Put jars somewhere near by to cool. Place them on a towel so the glass doesn't get shocked and break.
11. Once jars are cool remove the metal rims. Leaving the rims in place while you store your 'maters may cause rust.
You will hear the lids popping and sealing. This may occur during boiling or after. When you use the tomatoes you should have a hard time prying off the lid and hear a pop. This is an indication that they were properly sealed and safe to use.
During the process, be as clean as possible to avoid botulism, or as we say down here "wooly boogers". Wash your hands, avoid contact with the inside of the jar etc. True sterility is impossible, but do your best!
Store in a cool, dark place (such as a creepy basement) and enjoy for years to come.
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| This ain't even half! |
how the heck do you manage to post so much to your blog?
ReplyDeleteI don't know.. I like to do it. It can be a good way to remember how to do stuff. That was the motivation behind this post. I guess I have more than one motivation for keeping it up.
DeleteHow the heck do you manage a garden, three dogs, chickens, a house, two part time jobs, canning, and the millions of other projects you do?
ReplyDeleteSerious question, is the life you lead unrealistic for a 9-5er?
Certainly doing two part time jobs in addition to a 9 to 5 would be impossible. The other stuff might be a little harder, but I think it would be doable so long as my commute wasn't too bad.
ReplyDeleteAnd you forgot my exercise routine and taking care of my husband.
ReplyDeleteI knew I was forgetting a few important ones..I also forgot shopping and cleaning.
ReplyDelete