Preserve your tomato bounty in their natural juices through water bath canning. Water bath canning is safe and easy. In this video and post, I’ll show you how to can tomatoes in natural juices.
YOU WILL NEED
- 2-½ to 3-½ lb ripe tomatoes (about 8 to 11 medium) per quart
- Water
- Ball® Citric Acid or bottled lemon juice
- Quart or Pint Ball® Glass preserving jars with lids and bands
- Ball® freshTECH Electric Water Bath Canner or water bath canner
DIRECTIONS
- Prepare a boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Wash lids in warm soapy water and set bands aside.
- Trim away any green areas and cut out the core. Leave tomatoes whole or cut into halves or quarters.
- Add ½ teaspoon Ball® Citric Acid or 2 tablespoon bottled lemon juice to each hot quart jar; ADD ¼ teaspoon Ball® Citric Acid or 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice to each hot pint jar.
- Pack tomatoes in hot jars, pressing down until space between tomatoes fills with juice leaving 1″headspace.
- Add 1 teaspoon salt to each quart jar, ½ teaspoon to each pint jar, if desired.
- Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center hot lid on jar. Apply band and adjust until fit is fingertip tight.
- Process filled jars in a boiling water canner 1 hour and 25 minutes for pints and quarts, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. The lid should not flex up and down when the center is pressed