Canning tomatoes question?

[whitewolf55]

I have always grown hybrid tomatoes, this is the first year I am growing all open pollinated, heirloom varities. My question concerns the "acidity" of these tomatoes. I know I can add lemon juice, etc. to bring up the acidity when canning, but usually can "very acidic" tomatoes. Does anyone know about these varieties and their acidity? Red House, Super Sioux, Peron Sprayless, Burbank, or Crimson Sprinter. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Cat]

[Necie]

If you don't want to add lemon juice or vinegar and still want to be safe-just pressure can them. I do them at 10#-pints for 15 minutes and quarts for 20 minutes. Lemon juice/vinegar is recommended to bring the acidity up to water bath can.

[whitewolf55]

Gee, Thanks Cat. Very informative....I also always believed that the pink, yellow, etc. were low acid. Think I will print that off and add it to my tomatoes info collection.

 

Thanks Necie, pressure canning might be an option too I may try too.

[Violet]

You still need to add the bottled lemon juice if you use the pressure canner.

From National Center for Home Food Preservation :

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/tips/summer/canne...mato_types.html

In the case of these tomato products with both options, the pressure processing still requires acidification in these products. The pressure options only provide the same amount of heat to the product as the boiling water processes. Just because pressure is used to decrease the process time, the canning process is not the same as one to destroy spores of Clostridium botulinum as you would expect for low acid foods.

 

 

[Vic303]

Presto corp also told me to add lemon juice to my spaghetti sauce (meatless) and gave me the following info for pressure canning.

Qt's 11# @ 25 min.

[Necie]

Ok--this is making no sense to me, so can someone give me the WHY'S??

 

(From the Ball Blue Book-I'm not gonna type out the whole things--just the basics, but I think you'll get the idea.)

 

If you can tomatoes packed in water-it says to use lemon juice-process @ 10#--pints and quarts for 10 min.

 

If you can tomatoes packed in their own juice-it says to use lemon juice-process @ 10#--pints and quarts for 25 min.

 

Tomatoes and celery (equal measure)-no lemon juice-process @ 10#--pints for 30 min and quarts for 35 min.

 

Tomatoes and okra--same as tomatoes and celery.

 

Here's the one that gets me:

 

Stewed tomatoes: 4 qt tomatoes, 1 cup celery, 1/2 cup onion, 1/4 cup green pepper, 1 T. sugar, 2 t. salt--cooked together. Process @ 10#--pints for 15 min and quarts for 20 min.

 

Ok-is anyone else seeing that tomatoes with other veges (celery, onion and gr. pepper) and NO lemon juice is processed for less time than tomatoes by themselves WITH lemon juice?

 

How does this make sense?

[Violet]

It is a density issue. The stewed tomatoes are more "soupy" so less time required. Also, it is a hot packed food, so putting into the jars from the boiling point also can change processing times in some foods. The stewed tomato recipe I have now says celery salt, not fresh celery. It is also from Clemson. Personally, I am waiting for them to change the guidelines to also add the bottled lemon juice to the stewed tomatoes.

From Clemson University:http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC3360.htm

Unless a tested recipe is used, all tomato-vegetable mixtures must be processed in a pressure canner, according to the directions for the vegetable in the mixture that has the longest processing time.

 

Tomato-vegetable mixture recipes in this fact sheet may have shorter processing times because they have been tested for both pH and heat penetration. When the exact amounts specified in these recipes are used, these mixtures can be processed using the times given.

 

 

[Cat]

Bumping this to the top...