Pressure canning with tomatoes

[Cavediver]

Hello all,

My wife and I have finally decided to try our hands at canning. We bought four pounds of green beans and a few more pounds of tomatoes.

 

The beans went well. While heating things up we slid right on past the 10lb pressure goal to 11.5-12lbs for a few minutes before settling back down to 10.5 for the remaining time. All of the jars look good and sealed well.

 

The tomatoes, on the other hand, did not go quite as planned. We dipped slightly below the recommended pressure (6lbs?) for a minute or so, somewhere near the 15 minute mark. We tacked another 10 minutes on to the processing time after it got back up to pressure. The jars sealed well and look good, but now I'm wondering if we shouldn't have stopped and started over. What sayeth ya'll?

 

Last question: Okra. Along with the small batch of tomatoes, we canned one jar of okra that was given to us. It was green going in, but now it has a distinct red tint. The only possible reference that we've found to this event is that the okra may have been "past prime canning age", but that doesn't tell us if it's safe to eat or not. Can anyone clue us in?

 

BTW, I've been reading this forum for quite some time, and I've even been registered for a while. I love the site and look forward to learning more!

 

Thanks to everyone,

Jay

 

ETA: We have a glass top stove and I think we have a Presto 16q canner. I just read in another thread that flat top stoves aren't the best for canning

[blueannie]

I'm not an expert on canning so don't take my word for anything but I use boiling water canning to do my tomatoes...not pressure canning. Do you guys have a "Ball Blue Book"?

[Canned Nerd]

Okay, I'm initially wondering where you are picking up the canning time for your tomatoes? Packed in water its 10 minutes; packed in own juice its 25 minutes. Your 15 minutes doesn't really fit in either slot.

 

"Sealing" of the jars doesn't really mean anything. That occurs when I'm bring new jars home in the back of my car and I listen to the 'pings'. The criteria is the processing time and temperature so that the bacteria spores are killed inside the jars. I'm concerned that you did not achieve either for what is required, but I will defer to Violet's comments on the issue.

 

 

[Crazy4Canning]

Regarding the okra - it can very well be due to the variety. We see the same thing here with asparagus. Sometimes we can get a pink or purple hue in the brine after processing due to the variety.

 

You said you have a glass top stove - it also sounds like you have a dial gauge canner. Have you had your pressure gauge tested this season?

 

Also, glass top stoves cycle on and off and have trouble sustaining heat. This might be one of your issues.

 

Another question - what recipe were you using for your tomatoes? If you just had straight tomatoes, your processing times seem a bit long.

 

I usually water bath mine and do the crushed tomatoes. We encourage checking with the National Center for Food Preservation website manned by University of GA, here is what they say:

 

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can3_tomato.html

 

I copied the 'tomatoes with water added' since I wasn't sure if your tomatoes were crushed, or what. Click on the link above and choose your specific tomato product:

 

 

Selecting, Preparing and Canning Tomatoes

 

Introduction

Quality: Select only disease-free, preferably vine-ripened, firm fruit for canning.

 

Caution: Do not can tomatoes from dead or frost-killed vines. Green tomatoes are more acidic than ripened fruit and can be canned safely with any of the following recommendations.

 

Acidification: To ensure safe acidity in whole, crushed, or juiced tomatoes, add two tablespoons of bottled lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid per quart of tomatoes. For pints, use one tablespoon bottled lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon citric acid. Acid can be added directly to the jars before filling with product. Add sugar to offset acid taste, if desired. Four tablespoons of a 5 percent acidity vinegar per quart may be used instead of lemon juice or citric acid. However, vinegar may cause undesirable flavor changes.

 

Recommendation: Use of a pressure canner will result in higher quality and more nutritious canned tomato products. If your pressure canner cannot be operated above 15 PSI, select a process time at a lower pressure.

 

If a procedure from the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning for canning tomatoes offers both boiling water and pressure canning options, all steps in the preparation ("Procedure") are still required even if the pressure processing option is chosen. This includes acidification. The boiling water and pressure alternatives are equal processes with different time/temperature combinations calculated for these products.

 

 

 

 

Selecting, Preparing and Canning Tomatoes

 

Whole or Halved Tomatoes (packed in water)

Quantity: An average of 21 pounds is needed per canner load of 7 quarts; an average of 13 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints. A bushel weighs 53 pounds and yields 15 to 21 quarts-an average of 3 pounds per quart.

 

Please read <a href="http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/uga/using_press_canners.html">Using Pressure Canners and Using Boiling Water Canners before beginning. If this is your first time canning, it is recommended that you read Principles of Home Canning.

 

Procedure for hot or raw tomatoes filled with water in jars: Wash tomatoes. Dip in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds or until skins split; then dip in cold water. Slip off skins and remove cores. Leave whole or halve. Add bottled lemon juice or citric acid to jars (See acidification directions). Add 1 teaspoon of salt per quart to the jars, if desired.

 

Raw pack -- Heat water, for packing tomatoes, to boiling. Fill hot jars with prepared raw tomatoes, leaving ½-inch headspace. Cover tomatoes in the jars with boiling water, leaving ½-inch headspace.

 

Hot pack -- Put prepared tomatoes in a large saucepan and add enough water to completely cover them. Boil tomatoes gently for 5 minutes. Fill hot jars with hot tomatoes leaving ½-inch headspace. Add cooking liquid to the jars to cover the tomatoes, leaving ½-inch headspace.

 

Adjust lids and process according to the recommendations in Table 1, Table 2, or Table 3, depending on the method of canning used. (Acidification is still required for the pressure canning options; follow all steps in the Procedures above for any of the processing options.)

 

Table 1. Recommended process time for water-packed Whole or Halved Tomatoes in a boiling-water canner. Process Time at Altitudes of Style of Pack Jar Size 0 - 1,000 ft 1,001 - 3,000 ft 3,001 - 6,000 ft Above 6,000 ft Hot &

Raw Pints 40 min 45 50 55 Quarts 45 50 5560 Table 2. Recommended process time for water-packed Whole or Halved Tomatoes in a dial-gauge pressure canner Canner Gauge Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of Style of Pack Jar Size Process Time 0 - 2,000 ft 2,001 - 4,000 ft 4,001 - 6,000 ft 6,001 - 8,000 ft Hot &

Raw Pints or Quarts 15 min 6 lb 7 lb 8 lb 9 lb 10 11 12 13 14 Table 3. Recommended process time for water-packed Whole or Halved Tomatoes in a weighted-gauge pressure canner. Canner Gauge Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes Style of Pack Jar Size Process Time 0 - 1,000 ft Above 1,000 ft Hot &

Raw Pints or

Quarts 15 min 5 lb 10 lb 10 10 15 1 15 Not Recommended

This document was adapted from the "Complete Guide to Home Canning," Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539, USDA, revised 2006.

 

Reviewed May 2009.

 

 

 

 

 

[Cavediver]

Okay, I'm initially wondering where you are picking up the canning time for your tomatoes? Packed in water its 10 minutes; packed in own juice its 25 minutes. Your 15 minutes doesn't really fit in either slot.

 

"Sealing" of the jars doesn't really mean anything. That occurs when I'm bring new jars home in the back of my car and I listen to the 'pings'. The criteria is the processing time and temperature so that the bacteria spores are killed inside the jars. I'm concerned that you did not achieve either for what is required, but I will defer to Violet's comments on the issue.

 

Sorry I wasn't clear: the tomatoes were packed in their own juice and we were processing for 25 minutes. After 15 minutes the pressure dipped a pound or so below the recommended level. We kicked the heat up immediately, and then added another 10 minutes to our processing time for safety. End result: we were probably short a few consecutive minutes at the appropriate pressure, but the overall cook time was 10 minutes longer than required. I'm just not sure how much of a dip in pressure is acceptable, if any at all.

[Cavediver]

Regarding the okra - it can very well be due to the variety. We see the same thing here with asparagus. Sometimes we can get a pink or purple hue in the brine after processing due to the variety.

 

You said you have a glass top stove - it also sounds like you have a dial gauge canner. Have you had your pressure gauge tested this season?

 

Also, glass top stoves cycle on and off and have trouble sustaining heat. This might be one of your issues.

 

Another question - what recipe were you using for your tomatoes? If you just had straight tomatoes, your processing times seem a bit long.

 

I usually water bath mine and do the crushed tomatoes. We encourage checking with the National Center for Food Preservation website manned by University of GA, here is what they say:

 

I believe we used the recipe from the Ball blue book, but I'll have to confirm that with my wife.

 

After a bit of reading, I figured that the glass top stove might have been an issure, but things ran fine for the beans. I dunno really; I guess I'll have to research that one a little more.

 

Also, the canner is brand new and we didn't think to have the gauge tested. I'll look into doing that this week. Thanks fot that heads up

[Josephine]

ETA: We have a glass top stove and I think we have a Presto 16q canner. I just read in another thread that flat top stoves aren't the best for canning

 

The only glass top stove I know that one is able to can on is Jenn Air. Check your owner's manual.

[Violet]

If at any time during the processing time the goes below the safe time, you MUST bring it back up to pressure and start the processing time all over again.

Most folks don't add water to their jars of tomatoes. I have only heard of a very few that do that. I would not want to add water to my perfectly good tomatoes and water them down.

There is a Presto 16 quart canner that is only a weighted gauge. It is sold at WalMart.

If it has a dial, it must be tested or it may not be safe to use. The dial can be off by as much as 4 lb. right out of the box.

If you processed the tomatoes within the past 24 hours, you can reprocess the jars. You would open them, put the contents in a pan, bring to a boil. Use new lids, clean jars and start basically from scratch.

If longer than 24 hours, I cannot insure that all bacteria will be killed during reprocessing. Bacteria, including botulism can grow rapid enough after that time that it may not all be killed, even in a pressure canner.

Sorry, but at this point, we would suggest tossing them if longer than 24 hours has passed.

[nmchick]

BTW, I have the same canner and it works fine on my Kitchenaid glass top stove.

[Cavediver]

If at any time during the processing time the goes below the safe time, you MUST bring it back up to pressure and start the processing time all over again.

 

...

 

Sorry, but at this point, we would suggest tossing them if longer than 24 hours has passed.

 

Well, nuts.

I guess that's the safe thing to do. Too much time elapsed.

 

I've got a day off next week. I'll see if I can locate the extension office and take the gauge in for testing.

 

Thanks everyone; better luck to us next time!

[Josephine]

I've got a day off next week. I'll see if I can locate the extension office and take the gauge in for testing.

 

Is your canner a Presto? You can get the three piece weighted gauge for it and just not use the dial. That's what I do.

[Cavediver]

Is your canner a Presto? You can get the three piece weighted gauge for it and just not use the dial. That's what I do.

 

It is indeed. I may do just that! Do the weights fit all Presto canners?

[Violet]

Get Presto part 50332. It will fit the newer canners. I have also gone to using the weights. Makes it easier.

 

[Josephine]

It is indeed. I may do just that! Do the weights fit all Presto canners?

 

Yes, it replaces the 15 lb safety weight on the canner. You leave the dial in place.