Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Will the canning EVER END????

OK, not that I am complaining, but FOR REAL... when this time of the year comes, I sometimes wish things would can themselves. (of course we still have many MANY quarts of Apple sauce to do..... OK, I need to stop complaining! GOD IS GOOD!)



Lastnight my husband and I canned 19 pints of diced tomatoes. I am so excited and exausted in the same sentence..... here is how we do it!




FYI: I LOVE ROMA TOMATOES TO CAN,


they have so much nice meat to them!




First you wash up all your tomatoes and bring a pot of water to a boil. Then throw in some tomatoes and scald them for 30-45 seconds. Then remove them to a cold ice water soak!



Next skin them (make sure to compost the skins!). Then dice them up and put them into clean jars! Make sure to leave the head space. Add 1T. of lemon juice to each pint. (last year I did not do this and my tomatoes have been fine, but I thought this year WHY RISK IT!)


Then you line them up all and put the lids that were in boiling water, and the ring on them.



Next you put them into a canner with boiling water (we use 3 quarts of water and a splash of vinegar.) Our canner holds 20 pints OR 7 quarts. You then do your pressure cooker according to the book.... Steam for 10 min.... put pressure stopper thingy on..... then wait for it to get to 10 pounds of pressure. Set timer for 25 min and regulate 10 pounds of pressure. When timer goes off, shut of heat and take a shower.... TO WASTE TIME!


Last but not least, when it hits ZERO pounds of pressure, take off the stopper thingy and open the canner.... Take our your beautiful cans of tomatoes and admire them!


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Those are some BEAUTIFUL tomatoes! I have to freeze mine for now, but I'm hoping to gather some canning gear(will check at auctions and garage sales)for next summer.