Ball Canning Diced Tomatoes Food

HOW TO CAN DICED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Wash tomatoes thoroughly. Cut out the stem and any defects or blemishes. Some people also peel the tomatoes, but I never do and we honestly have not noticed the peelings at all- and I'm even funny about textures like that in food. I figure why bother with the extra step, plus it's a bit healthier too!
• Slice tomatoes into about ½ inch thick slices, then dice them into whatever size you want. I love using my Vidalia Chop Wizard for this!
• Place diced tomatoes into a clean canning jar- a funnel makes this super easy. Gently shake jar to settle tomatoes so that you can fill it completely. The tomatoes should be packed tightly in order to produce enough juice. It won't hurt if you press down on them a bit to get the jar packed full- in fact, this is probably going to be necessary. The jar should be full to the base of the neck.
• Add salt (½ tsp. per pint and 1 tsp. per quart) and bottled lemon juice (1 Tbsp. per pint and 2 Tbsp. per quart). Wipe rim of each jar with a damp cloth to remove any tomato residue that may be there. (If there is even a slight bit of tomato juice on it, it may not allow it to seal properly.)
• Once you have 7 jars filled, place 7 metal canning lids in a small pan. Cover with water; bring to a boil. Once the water boils, use a fork or lid lifter to lift the jar lids out of the water- be careful not to burn yourself!- and place them on the jars. Secure each lid with a jar band/ring. (Heating the lids softens the rubber, allowing for a better seal.)
• Place 7 jars in canner. Fill with enough hot water to cover the jars by 1 to 2 inches. Cover canner with a lid. Turn the burner on medium high heat. Once water starts to boil, reduce heat slightly and process for 45 minutes, making sure the water is boiling gently and steadily the whole time. (You may need to adjust heat to keep the boil going nicely, but really, as long as it is boiling, you are fine.)
• After processing for 45 minutes, turn the burner off. Remove jars using jar lifter- you may want to have a dishrag in your other hand to catch any hot water that drips from the jars as you remove them- and place on an old towel, blanket or another padded surface. (This is to protect your counter from the super hot jars.) Allow at least a little bit of air space around each jar, making sure not to have jars close enough to touch. Do not move until jars are completely cool.
• Jars should seal as they cool and you will typically hear a snap or pinging sound as the vacuum seal is formed. Lids will be slightly concave when sealed. To test the seal, once jar has totally cooled, lightly tap the center of the cooled jar lid. If it is firm and does not move, it should be sealed. If it pushes in, it didn't seal properly. You can still use unsealed jars, just put them in the refrigerator and use them as soon as possible.
• After jars are completely cool, you can remove the rings. Jars should be wiped clean before storing them.

HOW TO CAN DICED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Fill a water bath canner fit with a canning rack 2/3 full with water. Bring to a boil.
• Wash, sterilize, and heat nine wide-mouth pint canning jars.
• Score the bottom of each tomato in the shape of an "X." Working in small batches, plunge tomatoes into boiling water for 45-60 seconds, or until the skins start to pull away from the tomato.
• Immediately submerge tomatoes into an ice bath and slip off the skins. Remove tomato cores and dice.
• Working one jar at a time, place 1/4 teaspoon of powdered citric acid OR 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice in the bottom of the hot jar.
• Pack raw diced tomatoes into the prepared jar. Press tomatoes with the back of a spoon to release juice and fill in spaces between tomatoes. Add in more tomatoes and juice, if necessary, to reach a 1/2" headspace between the top of the tomatoes and the top of the jar.
• Wipe the rim of the jar, place on the lid, and then screw on the band until fingertip tight. Place jar in canner, and then repeat with remaining eight jars, working one jar at a time.
• Ensure that jars are covered by at least 1" of water in the canner, then bring to a boil and process for 85 minutes. When processing time is up, turn off the canner and remove the lid. Wait five minutes, then remove the jars to a towel-lined countertop or table and cool completely.
• Check the seals by pressing on the top of the lid. If it flexes, immediately refrigerate the jar and use within 7-10 days. If the lid doesn't flex, it is safe to store in a cool dark place. Use within a year for best flavor. Make sure to label your jars with contents and date before storing.

ITALIAN STYLE STEWED TOMATOES -GOOD FOR CANNING

Steps:

• Blanch, peel, core and quarter tomatoes.
• Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven.
• Add garlic and oregano, cook till garlic is tender and oregano is fragrant (about 2 minutes).
• Add chopped onion and peppers and cook until tender (about 5 min).
• Add tomatoes and sugar, simmer uncovered about 45 min or until desired consistency (you will need to cook longer if tomatoes are watery).
• Place in hot sterilized mason jars, and place in hot water bath, bring water back to the boil and boil for about 20 minutes longer, remove and let cool, re-bath any jars that don't seal.
• NOTE: Some people feel that the hot water bath method is not safe for this recipe, and that a pressure canning method should be used, however, I have always done these this way with no problem.
• I leave this up to your discretion.

CANNING TOMATOES

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and blanch tomatoes, in batches, for 30 seconds. When cool enough to handle, peel, core, and halve. Work over a strainer set over a bowl to catch the juices, and remove the seeds.
• Add 1 teaspoon salt and 2 basil leaves to each jar. Place tomatoes, cut sides down, in jars. Use a knife or spatula to remove air bubbles or extra space. Press down on the tomatoes to compact, and fill jars with the reserved tomato juice to within 1/2 inch of the rim. Wipe the rim, put on a hot lid and screw top, and transfer jars to the hot water. Repeat until all jars are filled and water covers them by 1 to 2 inches. Bring water to a boil, cover, and process for 45 minutes. Remove jars from pot, and let cool 24 hours. Test seals.