Wednesday 5 October 2011

Tomatoes are Easy!

















It’s the end of the growing season, harvest is upon us and surely there is, has been, or will be an abundance of tomatoes. If you can’t eat them all, and you’ve already shared them with your neighbour(s) and your local food bank, you’ve only got one option left – can those suckers!! It’s easy.


CRUSHED TOMATOES
Ingredients:
Tomatoes (prepared, i.e., skinned if you don’t want the skin, and quartered)
Lemon juice
Salt


Directions:


• Place the required number of clean 500 ml or 1 L mason jars on a rack in a boiling water canner (i.e., a very large pot); cover jars with at least 1 inch of water and heat to a simmer. Set screw bands aside. Heat SNAP LID® sealing discs in hot water, not boiling. Keep jars and sealing discs hot until ready to use.
• Blanch, peel, core and quarter tomatoes removing bruised or discoloured portions. Drop tomatoes into boiling water for a few seconds to remove the skin.




• Place 2 cups (500 ml) of tomato quarters in a large stainless steel pot. Bring to a boil while crushing and stirring to extract juice. Boil gently, stirring constantly; add remaining tomato quarters, 2 cups (500 ml) at a time. DO NOT crush tomatoes, as they will soften with heating and stirring. When all tomatoes are added, boil gently for 5 minutes.


• Place 1 tbsp (15 ml) of lemon juice and 1/2 tsp (2 ml) salt for 500 ml jars, or 2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice and 1.5 tsp salt, if using, 1 L jar. 

•Using a protected work surface (because HOT jars and COLD counter tops do not go well together), ladle tomatoes into a hot jar to 1/2 inch (1 cm) of top rim (headspace). Using a non-metallic utensil, remove the air bubbles and adjust headspace (space between the top of your liquid and the top of the jar), if required, by adding more tomatoes. Wipe the jar rim clean, removing any food residue. Centre hot sealing disc on clean jar rim. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip tight. Return filled jar to rack in canner. Repeat for remaining tomatoes.

• When canner is filled, ensure that all jars are covered by at least one inch (2.5 cm) of water. Cover canner and bring water to full rolling boil before starting to count processing time. At altitudes up to 1000 ft (305 m), process –boil filled jars – 35 minutes* for 500 ml; 45 minutes* for 1 L.


• When processing time is complete, remove canner lid, wait 5 minutes, then remove jars without tilting and place them upright on a protected work surface. Cool upright, undisturbed 24 hours; DO NOT RETIGHTEN screw bands.


After cooling check jar seals. Sealed discs curve downward and do not move when pressed. Remove screw bands; wipe and dry bands and jars. Store screw bands separately or replace loosely on jars, as desired. Label and store jars


It’s that easy folks!
Check out www.relishyomama.org for more recipes!

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