This publication provides information of preserving tomatoes by freezing, canning, and drying, and includes recipes

Brennand, Charlotte P.

Williams, Pauline

English

DigitalCommons@USU

Reviewed March 2010TomatoesPauline Williams, Family and Consumer Sciences AgentCharlotte Brennand, Food Preservation SpecialistDid you know?! Tomatoes must be from Italy, because pastasand tomato sauces go so well together — Right? Wrong! ! Researchers believe the tomato originated inSouth America, likely in the AndesMountains. Over time, tomatoes worked northinto Central America and eventually crossedthe Atlantic to Europe. Spanish Explorersprobably brought tomatoes to Spain in theearly 1500s. ! Tomatoes were not introduced in Italy untilthe 18th century, and even then tomatoes were thought of as ornamental plants not food. ! The popularity of tomatoes, as a food, didn’t occur until the early to mid 1800s.! Tomatoes that have been ripened before they are picked have the best flavor. Shippedtomatoes are often picked green and allowed to ripen off the vine.! Unripe tomatoes can be ripened by placing them in a warm place not in direct sunlight.The cold temperatures of refrigerators will keep tomatoes from ripening. Only storeripened tomatoes in the refrigerator.! One large tomato chopped equals about 1 cup. A bushel of tomatoes weighs 53 pounds.PRESERVING TOMATOESTomatoes can be preserved by freezing, canning, or drying with good results. For bestresults peel tomatoes before preserving.FreezingRipe tomatoes that are frozen are mushy when thawed but can be used in soups andcasseroles. Puree and juice are better options.Cooked Puree. Wash, core, and cut tomatoes. Cook until soft. Press through food mill orsieve. Cool and pack into freeze jars or freezer boxes. You can concentrate the puree by boilinguntil amount is reduced in half.Juice. Wash, core, and cut tomatoes. Simmer about 5 minutes; put through a sieve orfood mill. Cool and pack as above.2Green Tomatoes. Wash, core, and slice 1/2 inch thick. Pack tomatoes into freezer jars,or boxes.CanningGeneral Information.1. Quality. Select only disease-free preferably vine-ripened firm fruit. Do not cantomatoes from dead or frost-killed vines. Green tomatoes are more acidic than ripenedfruit and can be canned safely with any of the following recommendations.2. Acidification. To ensure safe acidity in whole, crushed, or juiced tomatoes, add 1/4teaspoon citric acid or 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice to pints and add 1/2 teaspooncitric acid or 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice to quarts. Add acid directly to jars beforefilling. A small amount of sugar can be added to offset acid taste, if desired. 3. Quantity: An average of 21 pounds is needed per canner load of 7 quarts; an average of13 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints.Crushed Tomatoes Procedure: Wash tomatoes and dip in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds or until skinssplit. Then dip in cold water, slip off skins, and remove cores. Trim off any bruised or discoloredportions and quarter. Heat one-sixth of the quarters quickly in a large pot, crushing them with awooden mallet or spoon as they are added to the pot. This will exude juice. Continue heatingremaining quartered tomatoes, stirring constantly. These remaining tomatoes do not need to becrushed. They will soften with heating and stirring. Continue until all tomatoes are added. Thenboil gently 5 minutes. Add bottled lemon juice or citric acid to jars. See acidification above.Add 1 teaspoon of salt per quart jar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt per pint jar if desired. Fill jarsimmediately with hot tomatoes, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process according toone of the charts below. Recommended Processing Times for Crushed Tomatoes in a BOILING WATER cannerProcess times at altitudes of:Style of pack Jar size 0-1,000 ft 1,001-3,000 ft 3,001-6,000 ft Above 6,000 ftHotPints 35 min 40 min 45 min 50 minQuarts 45 min 50 min 55 min 60 minProcessing Times at different altitudes for Crushed Tomatoes in DIAL GAUGE andWEIGHTED GAGE Pressure CannersProcess Times at Altitudes of:Dial Gauge Pressure Canners Weighted GaugeStyle ofPackJar Size ProcessTime0-2,000ft2,001-4,000 ft4,001-6,000 ft6,001-8,000 ft0-1,000ftAbove1,000 ftHotPackPints 20 min  6 lb 7 lb 8 lb 9 lb 5 lb 10 lbQuarts 15 min 11 lb 12 lb 13 lb 14 lb 10 lb 15 lb3Whole or Halved Tomatoes (Packed Raw Without Liquid)Procedure: Wash tomatoes. Dip in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds or until skins split,then dip in cold water. Slip off skins and remove cores. Leave whole or halve. Add bottledlemon juice or citric acid to jars. See acidification above. Add 1 teaspoon of salt per quart jaror 1/2 teaspoon of salt per pint jar if desired.Fill jars with raw tomatoes. Press tomatoes in the jars until spaces between them fill withjuice. Leave 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process according to charts below.Recommended Processing Times for Raw Whole Tomatoes without added liquid in aBOILING-WATER cannerProcess times at altitudes of:Style of pack Jar size 0-1,000 ft 1,001-3,000 ft 3,001-6,000 ft Above 6,000 ftRaw Pints orQuarts85 min 90 min 95 min 100 minProcessing Times at different altitudes for Raw Whole Tomatoes without added liquid inDIAL GAUGE and WEIGHTED GAGE Pressure CannersProcess Times at Altitudes of:Dial Gauge Pressure Canners Weighted GaugeStyle ofPackJar Size ProcessTime0-2,000ft2,001-4,000 ft4,001-6,000 ft6,001-8,000 ft0-1,000ftAbove1,000 ftHotPackPints 40 min  6 lb 7 lb 8 lb 9 lb 5 lb 10 lbQuarts 25 min 11 lb 12 lb 13 lb 14 lb 10 lb 15 lbTomato JuiceQuantity: An average of 23 pounds is needed per canner load of 7 quarts, or an averageof 14 pounds per canner load of 9 pints.Procedure: Wash, remove stems, and trim off bruised or discolored portions. To preventjuice from separating, quickly cut about 1 pound of fruit into quarters and put directly intosaucepan. Heat immediately to boiling while crushing. Continue to slowly add and crush freshlycut tomato quarters to the boiling mixture. Make sure the mixture boils constantly andvigorously while you add the remaining tomatoes. Simmer 5 minutes after you add all pieces.If you are not concerned about juice separation, simply slice or quarter tomatoes into alarge saucepan. Crush, heat, and simmer for 5 minutes before juicing.Press both types of heated juice through a sieve or food mill to remove skins and seeds.Add bottled lemon juice or citric acid to jars. See acidification above. Heat juice again toboiling. Add 1-teaspoon salt to quart jars and ½ teaspoon salt to pint jars, if desired. Fill jars withhot tomato juice, leaving ½-inch headspace. Adjusts lids and process according to charts below.4Recommended Processing Times for Tomato Juice in a BOILING WATER cannerProcess times at altitudes of:Style of pack Jar size 0-1,000 ft 1,001-3,000 ft 3,001-6,000 ft Above 6,000 ftHotPints 35 min 40 min 45 min 50 minQuarts 40 min 45 min 50 min 50 minProcessing Times at different altitudes for Tomato Juice in DIAL GAUGE and WEIGHTEDGAGE Pressure CannersProcess Times at Altitudes of:Dial Gauge Pressure Canners Weighted GaugeStyle ofPackJar Size ProcessTime0-2,000ft2,001-4,000 ft4,001-6,000 ft6,001-8,000 ft0-1,000ftAbove1,000 ftHotPackPints 20 min  6 lb 7 lb 8 lb 9 lb 5 lb 10 lbQuarts 15 min 11 lb 12 lb 13 lb 14 lb 10 lb 15 lbTomato and Vegetable Juice BlendQuantity: An average of 22 pounds of tomatoes is needed per canner load of 7 quarts.Not more than 3 cups of other vegetables may be added for each 22 pounds of tomatoes.Procedure: Crush and simmer tomatoes as for making tomato juice (see above). Add nomore than 3 cups of any combination of finely chopped celery, onions, carrots, and peppers foreach 22 pounds of tomatoes. Simmer mixture 20 minutes. Press hot cooked tomatoes andvegetables through a sieve or food mill to remove skins and seeds. Add bottled lemon juice orcitric acid to jars. See acidification above. Add 1 teaspoon of salt per quart jar and 1/2teaspoon salt per pint jar, if desired. Reheat tomato-vegetable juice blend to boiling and fillimmediately into jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Adjust lids and process according to chartbelow.Recommended Processing Times for Tomato Vegetable Blend in a BOILING WATERcannerProcess times at altitudes of:Style of pack Jar size 0-1,000 ft 1,001-3,000 ft 3,001-6,000 ft Above 6,000 ftHotPints 35 min 40 min 45 min 50 minQuarts 40 min 45 min 50 min 55 min5Processing Times at different altitudes for Tomato Juice Blends in DIAL GAUGE andWEIGHTED GAGE Pressure CannersProcess Times at Altitudes of:Dial Gauge Pressure Canners Weighted GaugeStyle ofPackJar Size ProcessTime0-2,000ft2,001-4,000 ft4,001-6,000 ft6,001-8,000 ft0-1,000ftAbove1,000 ftHotPackPints 20 min  6 lb 7 lb 8 lb 9 lb 5 lb 10 lbQuarts 15 min 11 lb 12 lb 13 lb 14 lb 10 lb 15 lbStewed Tomatoes4 quarts chopped, peeled, cored tomatoes (about 24 large)1 cup chopped celery (about 1 stalk)1/2 cup chopped onion (about 1/2  medium)1/4 cup chopped green pepper (about 1/4  medium)1 Tablespoon sugar2 teaspoons saltCombine all ingredients in a large saucepot. Cover; cook 10 minutes, stirring to preventsticking. Ladle hot vegetables into jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process inpressure canner according to chart below.Processing Times at different altitudes for Stewed Tomatoes in DIAL GAUGE andWEIGHTED GAGE Pressure CannersProcess Times at Altitudes of:Dial Gauge Pressure Canners Weighted GaugeStyle ofPackJar Size ProcessTime0-2,000ft2,001-4,000 ft4,001-6,000 ft6,001-8,000 ft0-1,000ftAbove1,000 ftHotPackPints 15 min 11 lb 12 lb 13 lb 14 lb 10 lb 15 lbQuarts 20 min 11 lb 12 lb 13 lb 14 lb 10 lb 15 lbSpaghetti Sauce without MeatYield: About 9 pints30 lbs tomatoes1 cup chopped onions5 cloves garlic, minced1 cup chopped celery or green peppers1 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced (optional)4-1/2 tsp. salt2 Tbsp. oregano4 Tbsp. minced parsley2 tsp. black pepper1/4 cup brown sugar1/4 cup vegetable oil6Procedure: Caution – Do not increase the proportion of onions, peppers, ormushrooms. Wash tomatoes and dip in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds or until skins split.Dip in cold water and slip off skins. Remove cores and quarter tomatoes. Boil 20 minutes,uncovered, in large saucepan. Put through food mill or sieve. Sauté onions, garlic, celery orpeppers, and mushrooms (if desired) in vegetable oil until tender. Combine sautéed vegetablesand tomatoes and add remainder of spices, salt, and sugar. Bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovereduntil thick enough for serving. At this time the initial volume will have been reduced by nearlyone-half. Stir frequently to avoid burning. Fill jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Adjust lids andprocess in pressure canner according to chart below.Processing Times at different altitudes for Spaghetti Sauce without Meat in DIAL GAUGEand WEIGHTED GAGE Pressure CannersProcess Times at Altitudes of:Dial Gauge Pressure Canners Weighted GaugeStyle ofPackJar Size ProcessTime0-2,000ft2,001-4,000 ft4,001-6,000 ft6,001-8,000 ft0-1,000ftAbove1,000 ftHotPackPints 20 min 11 lb 12 lb 13 lb 14 lb 10 lb 15 lbQuarts 25 min 11 lb 12 lb 13 lb 14 lb 10 lb 15 lbSpaghetti Sauce with MeatYield: about 9 pints30 lbs tomatoes2-1/2 lbs ground beef or sausage5 cloves garlic, minced1 cup chopped onions1 cup chopped celery or green peppers1 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced(optional)4-1/2 tsp. salt2 Tbsp. oregano4 Tbsp. minced parsley2 tsp. black pepper1/4 cup brown sugarProcedure: To prepare tomatoes, follow directions for Spaghetti sauce Without Meat(see above). Sauté beef or sausage until brown. Add garlic, onion, celery or green pepper, andmushrooms, if desired. Cook until vegetables are tender. Combine with tomato pulp in largesaucepan. Add spices, salt, and sugar. Bring to boil. Simmer, uncovered, until thick enough forserving. At this time initial volume will have been reduced by nearly one-half. Stir frequently toavoid burning. Fill jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process in pressure canneraccording to charts below.7Processing Times at different altitudes for Spaghetti Sauce with Meat in DIAL GAUGE andWEIGHTED GAGE Pressure CannersProcess Times at Altitudes of:Dial Gauge Pressure Canners Weighted GaugeStyle ofPackJar Size ProcessTime0-2,000ft2,001-4,000 ft4,001-6,000 ft6,001-8,000 ft0-1,000ftAbove1,000 ftHotPackPints 60 min 11 lb 12 lb 13 lb 14 lb 10 lb 15 lbQuarts 70 min 11 lb 12 lb 13 lb 14 lb 10 lb 15 lbGreen Tomato Pie Filling4 qts chopped green tomatoes3 qts peeled and chopped tart apples1 lb dark seedless raisins1 lb white raisins1/4 cup minced citron, lemon, or orange peel2 cups water2-1/2 cups brown sugar2-1/2 cups white sugar1/2 cup vinegar (5%)1 cup bottled lemon juice2 tbsp ground cinnamon1 tsp ground nutmeg1 tsp ground clovesYield: About 7 quartsProcedure: Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Cook slowly, stirring often, until tenderand slightly thickened (about 35 to 40 minutes). Fill jars with hot mixture, leaving 1/2-inchheadspace. Adjust lids and process.Recommended Processing Times for Green Tomato Pie Filling in a BOILING WATERcannerProcess times at altitudes of:Style of pack Jar size 0-1,000 ft 1,001-6,000 ft Above 6,000 ftHot Quarts 15 min 20 min 25 minPicklesPickled Sweet Green TomatoesYield: About 9 pints10 to 11 lbs of green tomatoes (16 cups sliced)2 cups sliced onions1/4 cup canning or pickling salt3 cups brown sugar4 cups vinegar (5%)1 tbsp mustard seed1 tbsp allspice1 tbsp celery seed1 tbsp whole clovesProcedure: Wash and slice tomatoes and onions. Place in bowl, sprinkle with 1/4 cup salt, andlet stand 4 to 6 hours. Drain. Heat and stir sugar in vinegar until dissolved. Tie mustard seed,8allspice, celery seed, and cloves in a spice bag. Add to vinegar with tomatoes and onions. Ifneeded, add minimum water to cover pieces. Bring to boil and simmer 30 minutes, stirring asneeded to prevent burning. Tomatoes should be tender and transparent when properly cooked.Remove spice bag. Fill jar and cover with hot pickling solution, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.Adjust lids and process.Recommended Processing Times for Pickled Sweet Green Tomatoes in a BOILINGWATER cannerProcess times at altitudes of:Style of pack Jar size 0-1,000 ft 1,001-6,000 ft Above 6,000 ftHotPints 10 min 15 min 20 minQuarts 15 min 20 min 25 minPickled Green Tomato RelishYield: 7 to 9 pints 1 qt water10 lbs small, hard green tomatoes1-1/2 lbs red bell peppers1-1/2 lbs green bell peppers2 lbs onions1/2 cup canning or pickling salt4 cups sugar1 qt vinegar (5%)1/3 cup prepared yellow mustard2 tbsp cornstarchProcedure: Wash and coarsely grate or finely chop tomatoes, peppers, and onions. Dissolve saltin water and pour over vegetables in large kettle. Heat to boiling and simmer 5 minutes. Drain incolander. Return vegetables to kettle. Add sugar, vinegar, mustard, and cornstarch. Stir to mix.Heat to boil and simmer 5 minutes. Fill sterile pint jars with hot relish, leaving 1/2-inchheadspace. Adjust lids and process.Recommended Processing Times for Pickled Green Tomato Relish in a BOILINGWATER cannerProcess times at altitudes of:Style of pack Jar size 0-1,000 ft 1,001-6,000 ft Above 6,000 ftHot Pints 5 min 10 min 15 minDryingSmall cherry tomatoes or tomatoes with a high solid content, such as Romas, work bestfor drying. Dried tomatoes are good in soups, stews, sauces, and salads. Tomato leather can beeaten as is, added to soups for flavor, or a little water can be added to the leather to make asavory tomato sauce.9Tomato SlicesPreparation: Steam tomatoes for 3 minutes or dip tomatoes in boiling water for 1 minuteto loosen skins. Chill in cold water; slip skins off. Cut into sections about 1/2 inch wide or slices.Cut small pear or plum tomatoes in half.Drying: Dry tomatoes in food dehydrator 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours.Tomato Vegetable Leather1 medium onion, chopped1 green pepper, chopped1 clove garlic, minced3 cups tomatoes peeled and wedgedSalt, pepper, spices to taste.Note: proportions can be adjusted to personal taste. Celery could also be used.Blend vegetables in food processor or blender until fine. Add a few tomato wedges andblend. Continue to add tomatoes and blend. Add other spices to taste. Spread puree on plasticwrap on dehydrator trays or cookie sheets. Dry in food dehydrator for 6 to 10 hours or in ovenset at 150 to 160 degrees for 6 to 10 hours. Leather should be dry enough so that is peels easilyfrom the plastic wrap.Storage TimesFully ripe tomatoes can be stored for 4-7 days at 45-50ºF. If slightly underripe, this timecan be extended to 2-3 weeks. Do not refrigerate until ripe.Tomatoes picked green in the fall can be wrapped individually in newspaper and storedfor months in a cool, but not freezing location. An alternate method of salvaging tomatoes in thefall before freezing is to pull up the vines and hang them in a cool location. Remove anytomatoes that begin to show signs of spoilage. Storage time is extended for months, but qualitywill decrease.Temperature has a major affect on storage life. Canned tomatoes will maintain quality forup to 48 months at 40ºF, or 24 months at 70ºF, or 12 months at 90ºF. NUTRITION INFORMATION (USDA Nutritive Value of Foods)Tomatoes are an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, and potassium.Calor-iesFiber,gVit. AIUsVit. CmgCalciummgIronmgPotas-sium mgSodiummgRaw tomato, 23/5 inch diameter26 1.4 776 32 6 .55 273 11Canned tomatoes, 1/2 cup20 1.1 140 11 37 1.1 226 12154*Canned tomatojuice, 1/2 cup21 0.5 547 22 12 0.52 278 12327*Dried tomatoes,1/4 cup35 1.7 118 5.3 15 1.23 463 28310Savor the Season All Year Long!ReferencesBall Blue Book. The Complete Guide to Home Canning and Freezing. 1995. AlltristaCorporation. Muncie, Indiana.Brennand, Charlotte. 1994. Home Drying of Food. (FN330) Utah State University Extension.Logan, Utah. http://extension.usu.edu/files/foodpubs/fn330.pdf. Complete Guide to Home Canning (Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539). 1994. USDA &Extension Service. http://extension.usu.edu/files/foodpubs/cangui0.pdf Section 5. Subsistence. Department of Defense 4145.19-R-1, 1979USDA Food Composition, USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory,http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/index.html Utah State University is committed to providing an environment free from harassment and other forms of illegal discrimination basedon race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age (40 and older), disability, and veteran’s status. USU’s policy also prohibits discrimination on thebasis of sexual orientation in employment and academic related practices and decisions.Utah State University employees and students cannot, because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or veteran’sstatus, refuse to hire; discharge; promote; demote; terminate; discriminate in compensation; or discriminate regarding terms, privileges, orconditions of employment, against any person otherwise qualified. Employees and students also cannot discriminate in the classroom, residencehalls, or in on/off campus, USU-sponsored events and activities.This publication is issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work. Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with theU.S. Department of Agriculture, Noelle E. Cockett, Vice President for Extension and Agriculture, Utah State University. (FN/Harvest/2005-04pr)

Preserving Tomatoes

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Preserving Tomatoes

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