Our family has grown and canned garden tomatoes for as long as I can remember. There are plenty of ways to preserve garden tomatoes, from canned salsa, to canned spaghetti sauce, to canned diced tomatoes, to homemade tomato juice but the easiest way is just canning them whole. I love canning whole tomatoes because they are just so versatile. You can use them in all kinds of recipes and they taste just as fresh as the day they are picked. If you need to can tomatoes and don’t have a lot of prep time, whole tomatoes are the way to go!
What Tomatoes are Best for Canning Whole?
I prefer to use Roma tomatoes for canning because they tend to hold their shape better than other tomatoes. Romas are also a low moisture tomato which is great for making sauces. They are also slightly smaller so they fit in the jars better without having to be cut in half in into quarters. Of course you can use whatever tomato you are growing for the season or whatever you can find at the farmer’s market, you just may need to add an extra step by cutting them smaller to they can fit through the mouth of the jar.
How to Use Canned Tomatoes
Now for the really fun part: using your canned tomatoes in recipes! I love using my tomatoes in soups, sauces, with braised meats, salsas, and so much more! You can use a potato masher and crush them for spaghetti sauce or puree them for flavorful tomato soups. You can also crush and simmer for a long amount of time to create a homemade tomato puree to use for pizza sauce or for a marinara dipping sauce. Crush and add with meatballs and seasoning to make Instant Pot Meatballs for spaghetti or meatball subs. Chop them up and add them to tortilla soup, chili, or salsa. The possibilities are endless!
Start by prepping a large bowl of cold water and ice cubes and it set aside. Next, bring a tall pot of water to a boil. Place the scored tomatoes in the boiling water without overcrowding and blanch for 30 sec to 1 min, depending on the size of the tomatoes. The secret is to watch the skins, when they start to crack and get wrinkled, take them out and place in the ice water bath. This will stop the cooking process and cool them down so they can be easily handled. Remove the tomatoes from the ice bath using a slotted spoon and peel by hand. The skin should come off easily. This may take several batches to complete depending on how many tomatoes you are canning. Use a small paring knife to core the tomatoes after peeling.
Prepare the lids – In a small pan, over medium heat, place lids and rims to preheat for when we seal our cans. This makes the rubber a little malleable to help it stick to the jars. You must use brand new lids every time. Do not re-use old lids. However, you can re-use the rings that you screw on to keep the lids in place.
Add acidity to the jars – Add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice ½ teaspoon of citric acid (found in the canning section in the store) to each quart jar to keep the acidity high for canning. This will not affect the taste at all, it will just make it safe to can. This step CAN NOT be skipped or missed. If you happen to forget, you will need to go back and add the acidity, and re-process the jars. They cannot be safely canned without the lemon juice or citric acid.
Add tomatoes to the jars – Using a funnel, place and pack the tomatoes into each jar while getting rid of any air pockets during the process. This can get messy but try to pack them nice and tight. Leave ½ to 1 inch of space at the top of the jar to allow for expansion and to prevent the juices from bubbling out or messing with your seal. Use a knife or spoon and move it around the inside of the jar to remove any air bubbles you can see around the sides.
Place the lids and rings – Use paper towel dipped in white vinegar to clean around the edges of the jars. Wipe again with a dry paper towel to remove any moisture from the rim. If there is any moisture in the rim when you place the dip on the top, it won’t seal properly. Add lid and rings and twist until just tight.
Process the jars – Place the jars in the rack of a hot water bath and lower into the boiling water canner pot until completely submerged. Process 85-100 minutes depending on your elevation (see exact times in the recipe below). Remove and allow to cool until the lids are all suctioned down. When you press the top of the lid it shouldn’t make a popping sound.
Water-packed raw — Bring a pot of water to a boil. Fill hot, prepared jars (remember to add lemon juice or citric acid) with prepared raw tomatoes. Fill the jars with boiling water until tomatoes are covered. Cover tomatoes in the jars with boiling water, making sure you 1/2″ headspace after they are covered.
Hot pack — Put prepared tomatoes in a large saucepan and add enough water to completely cover them. Boil tomatoes for 5 minutes. Fill hot, jars (prepared with lemon juice or citric acid) with hot tomatoes and add hot liquid from the boiled tomatoes to the jars, enough to cover the tomatoes. Leave 1/2″ headspace at the top of the jar.
For both of these alternative methods you will process for 45 minutes for up to 1,000 feet, 50 minutes for 1,001-3,000 feet, 55 minutes for 3,001-6,000 feet, and 60 minutes for 6,000+ feet. If using pint jars, you will process for 5 minutes less.
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