The Great Tomato Harvest

You've watched and waited anxiously for those first few tomatos to turn red, and now, finally, you can enjoy the taste of summertime. Oh, and you knew they were worth the wait, the minute you partook of that first, juicy bite. But, that was several weeks ago. Now your countertops are filled with the ruby spheres, you've given away so many that your friends are avoiding you, and you just cannot throw them out. It must be time to pull out the canning jars and get started!

Tomatos are, or were (more on that in a minute), a high-acid food, and if canned alone, are processed in a boiling water bath. If you mix tomatos with any other vegetable, then you should follow the canning procedure for the item that would require the most processing. This means, if you add vegetables that need pressure canning, you will pressure can your mixtures.

There is an on-going controversy over the acidity of tomatoes these days: greenhouse growing and hybrid varieties have lowered the acid levels in most of today's tomato crops. For this reason, it is recommended that you always add salt and citric acid, lemon juice, or vinegar to your tomatoes before processing them, to raise the acidity level. It is also recommended that you always Hot Pack your tomatoes, rather than using the Cold Pack method, which will be in some of the older canning books. The safest way to can is by following USDA guidelines.

Always start with fresh, firm, healthy, ripe tomatoes. You will need to blanch and peel your tomatoes if you want to can them whole, or diced. For whole, diced, or crushed tomatoes, I generally prefer to add vinegar to raise the acidity. I use herbal vinegars. An especially tasty addition to tomatoes is basil vinegar. I sometimes use hot pepper vinegar, cider vinegar with a drop or two of balsamic vinegar added, or lemon-herb vinegar; each of these will enhance the dish cooked using the tomatoes.

For tomato juice, which I use a great deal of when cooking, I am more inclined to use lemon juice to raise the acid level. If it's used for a beverage, it seems to make it more refreshing. Tomato juice is a fast, easy way to preserve your produce; not having to peel the tomatoes cuts down your preparation time considerably. Just wash and quarter your tomatoes, and place them in a large pot. I generally put just enough water in the pan to cover the bottom, so that the tomatoes do not scorch before they heat enough to produce their own juice. Heat through, and simmer for about 10 minutes, crushing and stirring frequently. Run the cooked tomatoes through a food mill or sieve to extract the juice. Heat the juice to boiling, pour in hot, sterilized jars. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and I add ½ teaspoon sugar, then seal with two-part lids, according to manufacturer's guidelines. Process pints for 35 minutes or quarts for 40 minutes, in a boiling water bath.

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