Maters for Later

Summer! Every day I'm out in the community garden collecting a quart or two of ripe tomatoes, canning and drying what I can't eat fresh. The food preservation process takes only a little of my time, and ensures that when there's snow on the ground I'll be able to make salsa and pasta sauces from organically grown, sun-ripened tomatoes without having to spend a nickel. Best of all, each time I open a jar I'll be reminded of the sultry summer days when there was still enough daylight after work to step outside into the harvest, my hands smelling of the basil I picked to go with that night's salad.

Here are two very simple ways to preserve some of your tomato harvest for the cold time. There are many other approaches to putting up tomatoes, but in my experience these take the least amount of time, which for city folk is a major plus. If you aren't growing your own, now is the time to visit your local farmers market, where prices on summer produce have gone down and quality is at it's peak.

Home-canned tomatoes will be used later to make salsas, pasta sauces, soups, and ketchup. I don't bother removing the skins and seed, figuring that mid-winter, when the garden isn't making demands on my time, if I really need a seed-free sauce I can run the whole thing through a food mill or sieve. Meanwhile, this is a quick and easy way to preserve the harvest.

Canned Maters

Tomatoes
Salt
Lemon Juice
Fresh Basil Leaves (optional)
Pint Canning Jars and 2-Piece Canning Lids

Wash and coarsely chop the tomatoes, discarding the stem ends and any tough cores. Put 1/2 tsp. salt and 1 Tablespoon lemon juice in each clean pint jar. Pack with tomatoes, pressing down as you go to release their juices. If you like, tuck a fresh basil leaf or two into each jar. Leave 1-inch head space at top. Run a blunt-tipped butter knife along the insides of the jar to release any air pockets. Wipe top of jar with a clean towel.

Tightly screw on lids. Process for 35 minutes either in a boiling water bath (see below), or in a pressure canner with the petcock left open. Set on a heatproof surface and let cool 12 hours without moving. Sealed lids will have firm indent in the center. Any that don't seal should be refrigerated and used within two days. Sometimes the tomatoes will separate leaving a clear liquid at the bottom with the tomatoes floating on top. Simply turn the jar over once or twice to recombine the liquid and pulp.

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