A week or so ago, I took my first solo trip into canning tomatoes. My mom used to can tomatoes when I was a child, but she did water-bath canning.
My husband bought a pressure canner recently, and well I wanted the canning to go faster.
I’d never used a pressure cooker before, much less a canner. I was nervous. Not to mention the fact that it barely fits between my gas cooktop and the microwave (which hangs above the cooktop).
But I did it. Here are the pictures:
I started with vine-ripe tomatoes, fresh from the garden. Then blanched and skinned them.
The prepared jars and lids being heated:
I decided to do a cold pack with the tomatoes. I put them in the jars with lemon juice and a bit of salt then poured very hot water in until it reached 1/2 inch from the top of the jar, which really only wound up being about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water.
A jar before processing:
My completed jars in the canner:
After they cooled, they looked watery, so I decided I would not be doing the cold pack method again. But it’s only 7 jars, and I didn’t blow up the house. 🙂
So there was my canning challenge. LOL I hope you enjoyed it more than I did.
Have you canned successfully? Or unsuccessfully? Tell us canned and if it taste good?
Blessings,
Ginger
Hurray for not blowing up the house! That’s exactly why I freeze and not can….just call me a coward.
Usually I freeze, but all four of my freezers–a full-size upright, a full-size chest, and two side-by-side fridge freezers–are FULL, and I’ll need to make room for Cutey-Pie(the steer) when he returns from the butcher at the end of September(he’s in the pasture right now getting nice and fat LOL).
You’re brave, Ginger. No canning for me, unless you count the can I buy. lol
I’m not sure if it’s called bravery or insanity. I’m so glad I don’t have to do it for all my winter food needs. 🙂
Looks like a lot of hard work! Is it worth it? Interesting photos- helps understand the process.
I have never canned anything. Would LOVE to give it a try at some point.
I grew up canning everything from beans to cherries to peaches. My grandmother canned prolifically. I wish I could remember how to do it. As for tomatoes and green beans now, I freeze them. They are so much easier to freeze and much less time consuming. I don’t have my own garden so I depend on the kindness of neighbors for fresh produce. Great post. Brought back lots of memories.
LoL, yes, I probably enjoyed this more than you enjoyed canning those tomatoes!! I sooooo understand that! I did a bunch of canning last summer and I do NOT miss it this summer. 😉
Pressure canners are great, but yeah, they can be scary at times–even for someone who’s used pressure cookers and pressure canners for a very long time.
G’day Ginger!
Yes, I do lots of canning (or bottling as we call it over here). I’m sure my facebook posts document my forays into preserving fruit/veg.
I smiled when I first saw your pics of your finished jars of tomatoes. My first thought: you left them in too long to heat, or brought the heat up too fast. I can tell cos the tomatoes rose in the jar. 😉 Apricots rise easily as well.
Have fun bottling! I peeled and juiced, and then canned/bottled about 6 large shopping bags full of oranges today. Fun, fun.
Must say I think you are brave using a pressure cooker. I’m not game enough! lol.
All the best,
Lucy
I love that canning is still do-able and teachable. I have to confess that my tomatoes come in a glass jar marked “Picante” or in a can labeled “Del Monte.” Maybe “one of these days” I’ll take this on. Thanks for a fun and informative post today.