Canning tomatoes is a wonderful way to preserve the flavors of summer! Many people learned to can from their mothers and grandmothers – large gardens used to be a way of life for many people. However, many of us no longer grow big gardens (it’s way easier to just go to the grocery store!). This page contains a variety of information regarding canning tomatoes, that I hope you find helpful.
If you are not familiar with the canning proccess – I suggest you do a little research first. Properly canned produce can yield delicious, nutritious food for you and your family. Improperly canned produce has the potential to make you very, very sick. Here is a link to a lot of great canning information.
My personal favorite way to can tomatoes is to turn them into spaghetti sauce – it’s wonderful to be able to open a jar of my own spaghetti sauce in the middle of winter and serve over delicious pasta and a glass of my favorite Maize Valley Wine (Sinfully Red). Here is a link to my favorite spaghetti sauce recipe. It does have a few unique ingredients (soy sauce for one), but the richness and depth of flavor is second to none. I also do not bother peeling my tomatoes, I’ve found that after several hours of simmering on the stove, the skins blend up with the help of an immersion blender.
If you don’t have a water bath canner – amazon has a variety of them available. Here is one that is available.