Breaking out grandma’s canned tomatoes
No better feeling than to gaze upon 12 jars of homecanned tomatoes! That was my Labor Day project, and Carl pitched in, good sport that he is — for an afternoon elbowdeep in tomato skins, a giant steaming navy blue graniteware canning pot, sterilized jars, rings and lids, and just good wholesome work/fun.
Bebel Gilberto tunes were playing for a kind of Bossa Nova vibe offset by hissing pots, and the kitchen floor was littered with sleeping dogs who could not figure out why we were spending so much time on something that didn’t smell remotely interesting.
Usually, I make tomato puree and freeze it, or roast tomato halves on a sheet pan with garlic and olive oil and freeze those, but I’ve always been afraid to can tomatoes. It sounded so complicated with all the peeling and sterilizing, I was afraid I’d forget some step and kill us all.
This year I went berserk with those amazing U-Pick peaches from L&T Farm and the freezer was stuffed with frozen peach slices — no room for tomatoes. Then a recipe appeared in my in-box that quashed my doubts and made me want to try canning again. It made it all sound so simple — three ingredients only and the processing time was long enough that there was no need to pre-sterilize the jars — just wash them, and pack in the tomatoes.
Here’s the recipe if you’re antsy to get started:
Grandma’s Canned Tomatoes
Recipe by Kelsey Banfield makes 4 quarts.
Ingredients:
• 12 pounds ripe tomatoes
• 4 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 4tablespoons bottled lemon juice
• 4 sterilized quart jars with lids and rims
Use an assortment of ripe tomatoes — meaty ones like Marzano, Roma, Big Mama, and Jersey Giant have fewer seeds and hold up to processing in the water bath, but an assortment is the way to go for flavor and texture. Use coarse Kosher salt, and bottled lemon juice is the “safest way to ensure a consistent level of acidity that will keep the jars shelf-stable,” according to Kelsey.
DIRECTIONS >> Cut an X into the bottom of each tomato, which will make peeling easier. Boil a large stockpot or lobster pot of water and add all tomatoes, working in batches if necessary.
When their skins begin to retract after a minute or so, remove the tomatoes from the water and plunge into cold water to stop the cooking and loosen the skins.
Peel the tomato skins off and cut out the stems. Press the peeled and cored tomatoes firmly into the sterilized jars until there is only ½-inch remaining at the top.
Once the jars are filled, add a teaspoon of Kosher salt and a tablespoon of bottled lemon juice to each quart. Place the lids and rims on the jars and tighten.
Prepare a large boiling water bath in a stockpot or lobster pot, making sure the water is deep enough to completely cover the jars. Once the water has come to a boil, arrange the jars on a wire jar rack, and lower into water. Allow the jars to process in the water bath for 45 minutes.
When the processing is complete, carefully remove the rack and place on a heatproof surface. Cover the jars with a clean dishtowel and allow them to cool at room temperature for a few hours.
Test the seals to ensure proper processing, label the jars with the date, and store in a cool, dark place (like a pantry) to enjoy for up to a year.
Quart jars from the hardware store, the big blue canning kettle and wire jar rack from the bowels of the basement, a stack of dishtowels, hot pads and two sharp paring knives, all we needed was the tomatoes — figure 3 pounds for each quart jar you want to put up. We drove to our farmer friend’s house and picked up our order of 38 pounds of assorted tomatoes — that’s a lot of tomatoes — and our afternoon canning adventure began.
We found 15-30 seconds in the boiling water, then a plunge in ice water made the skins slip off pretty easily, the 3 pounds of tomatoes for each quart was right-on, and when we stepped back after 4 hours at the kitchen sink, we were amazed to discover we had canned 12 quarts of tomatoes! Those gleaming red jars lined up on the pantry shelf — such a feeling of accomplishment. This winter I’m going to try homemade tomato soup.
Hope your Labor Day was fun and you’re ready for whatever this school year brings. Be smart, be flexible and be safe.