1st Rule of Tomatoes
EAT them every day when they’re growing. There is NOTHING better than homegrown tomatoes. That is a foundational truth I live by.
2nd Rule of Tomatoes
Don’t waste them!
The end of summer is all about tomatoes ripening daily, counters overflowing with bowls of gorgeous, vine-ripened treasures – each one a delicious reminder of the rewards of summer gardening. Toasted tomato sandwiches (with pesto mayo of course), fresh tomato salsa, bruschetta with fresh sour dough bread, . . . . everyday is another tomato-day, and that’s awesome. It’s what we looked forward to for months. But it. All. Happens. NOW. No stretching it out over the next few months like potatoes and butternut squash. And if you’re paying attention to the rules, you know better than to waste them.
Okay, calm down. I get it. And I’m here to help. There are many things you can do to preserve your ‘excess’ – tomatoes are probably the easiest produce to preserve with incredible variety. But it all takes time! And there’s only so much of that. As a young mom, I learned a good lesson from an older lady (older than my mom) I used to buy milk from. Her name was Elsie Manchak. Elsie told me ‘when something in the garden is ready – it IS READY NOW! That means you adjust, and you pivot. Whatever you thought you were gonna do today, just got trumped. You take care of the food when its ready, because that is what you’re gonna feed your family with all winter long.’
I absorbed her philosophy. It became formative for me at a very impressionable time in my life. It seems it may have became part of my DNA. Thank you Elsie. There are many things you can do with your excess tomatoes, and you will likely run out of time. Did you know you can freeze them?
Freezing Tomatoes
Yes! You can freeze fresh, ripe tomatoes to buy yourself some time now – and can them later when things slow down a bit. Whether it is better to freeze tomatoes whole or chopped depends on how you plan to use them later, AND how much freezer space you have. Freezing them whole (or halved) requires the least amount of effort and lets you easily slip off the skins later. Chopping them first saves freezer space and prepares them to go straight into recipes.
Truth be told, I am not a fan of freezing tomatoes as a general rule, but I do it when I have to buy time.
I freeze them whole and store in a plastic bag to come back to later in the season. Just don’t forget they’re there!
You can freeze without blanching or any special preparation. However, freezing changes their cell structure and they will become soft and mushy once thawed. Sometimes its helpful for what your ultimate plan is. Especially if your plan include Tomato Jam (see below for recipe). Also great for soups, stews, chilis or sauce.
How to Freeze Them Safely
- Wash ripe, sound tomatoes and pull off the stems.
- Best to core them even if you intend to freeze whole. Easier to do that while they’re still fresh, than later when they’re ‘squishy’.
- I freeze whole on a cookie sheet, then bag them frozen into a plastic bag later.
- OR you can pack them raw – tightly into freezer bags pressing out the air.
- OR you can chop them unpeeled or peeled and pack in amounts to use in specific recipes later.
- Seal – eliminating as much air as you are able to, and label with date.
*Rookie mistake: you think you’ll remember what’s in the bag and when you froze it. You won’t.
Your thawed tomatoes are squishy when they thawed out?
Yup. Remember that freezing changes their cell structure and they will become soft and mushy once thawed. Nothing you can do to prevent that. They’re still great for soups, stews, chilis and sauce.
Suggested Shelf Life for frozen tomatoes
When I freeze tomatoes it is SHORT TERM, buying me some time at a busy time of year. But if you’re actually planning to STORE them in the freezer, then pay attention to these rules of thumb:
*Optimal nutrition for frozen tomatoes is 6-12 months, when stored properly in airtight freezer bags or containers, though they maintain the best flavour and quality if used within 6 months. If they are vacuum-sealed, they can last up to 2 years.
Chopped or Sliced Pieces: Less time before flavour and texture degrade significantly. Shelf Life is 3-6 months max.
Standard Freezer Bags / Containers: 6 to 12 months (best quality under 6 months).
Vacuum-Sealed Bags: 2 years.
Important Tips for Canning Once-frozen Tomatoes
- Best Uses: Freezing breaks down the cell walls, making thawed tomatoes very soft. This makes them perfect for cooked products like sauces, juices, or crushed tomatoes. They are not suitable for fresh-style salsas or to be canned whole.
- Peeling Trick: When you thaw them, the skins will slip right off easily without needing to blanch them in hot water. Yay.
- Acidify: Always follow tested canning recipes and add the required bottled lemon juice or citric acid to each jar, just like you would with fresh tomatoes.
RULES
For the most part, I am very flexible with recipes and I like trying new things, but when it comes to canning, I have a few “Non Negotiable” rules I follow when it comes to canning
1. Acid foods in hot bath canner – non acid foods in a pressure canner. Period.
2. Processing times must come from a reliable source (not your memory or your gramma’s memory). Get yourself a good book. It might be pricey. It’s worth it.
3. Only use jars that are made for canning.
4. Only use proper canning lids, and only use them ONCE. There are plenty of things you can save money on. Re-using lids isn’t one of them.
5. DON’T MESS AROUND WITH SOME THINGS.
Canning Tomatoes
Probably the most common way of preserving tomatoes is to bottle them and process them in a hot water bath canner. There is a right way to do this, and there are a few wrong ways to do it.
- Salt or No Salt, and How Much?
Let’s talk about salt first because it’s easy.
Yes. Use it because without salt life is boring.
How much? 1 teaspoon per quart / litre OR 1/2 teaspoon for a pint / 500 ml
What kind? Pickling salt or kosher salt of whatever variety you like – as opposed to regular table salt which has added iodine in it – which can make your liquid cloudy or dark. Table salt often contains anti caking agents too. - ADDED ACID. Why and what type and how much?
Experts say thatmodern tomatoes have lower natural acidity levels than older varieties. Additional Acid is an absolute MUST when canning tomatoes.
WHY IS ACID SO IMPORTANT?
Botulism prevention: Adding acid lowers the pH to a safe level to prevent the growth of dangerous Clostridium botulinum spores during water-bath canning.
See more about botulism here.
Lemon juice or Vinegar? Which is the recommended ACID for canning tomatoes?
Lemon Juice:
Flavour: Mild and subtle; blends into the tomatoes without altering the overall taste.
Amount needed: 1 tablespoon per pint or 2 tablespoons per quart.
Vinegar:
Flavour: Strong and distinct; can cause noticeable changes in plain tomato dishes.
Amount needed: Requires twice the volume: 2 tablespoons per pint or 4 tablespoons per quart.
Must be standard 5% acidity white or pickling vinegar. Other vinegars such as balsamic, white wine or rice vinegars are milder.
Many people prefer to use bottled lemon juice because the level of ph is identified, and consistent.
To sum up – salt may be optional, but adding acid is not optional. ALWAYS add lemon juice (fresh or bottled) or citric acid to EVERY jar of tomatoes to ensure safety. 2 tablespoons lemon juice per quart/litre, or 1 tablespoon per pint / 500 ml.
the TOMATO CONTROVERSY
Over the last few decades there has been a good deal of controversy about whether or not all tomatoes are acidic enough to be canned in the traditional boiling water bath method. Tomatoes have generally been considered a sufficiently high acid food, but they are border-line in their PH range. Safe PH level is considered anything under 4.4. Over that is considered a low acid food. Tomatoes can range between 4.05 to 4.7 – just under and just over the acceptable level. Pretty IFFY.
Variations can be attributed to:
Tomato Variety
There are many types of tomatoes, some of them sweeter than others. Some more acidy than others.
Stage of Ripeness or damaged fruit
The riper a tomato, the lower the acid level.
As a tomato ripens, the concentration of primary organic acids decreases. This causes the overall pH level to rise slightly. The lower acidity is heavily influenced by a surge in natural sugars in the ripening tomato. Damaged tomatoes can have an even higher PH level.
It is therefore very important to use only prime, properly ripened fruit when canning.
AND, as an extra precaution, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice per pint of tomatoes, and 2 tablespoons per quart.
The additional acid is not intended to compensate for overripe fruit. It is an extra precaution to take when everything else is right—when you are starting with sound, properly ripened tomatoes and following safe canning practices.
VERY IMPORTANT – Please Click the Link to Read
To can Tomatoes
Canning tomatoes safely as a beginner requires the following:
1. canning jars – pints or quart sizes, with lids and rings to fit. NEVER RE-USE the 2. lids from a previous canned jar. Modern lids are made for SINGLE USE only.
3. Hot water bath canner or a stock pot deep enough for boiling water to cover the tallest jar in use by at least two inches.
4. A rack or something else to keep glass jars from sitting directly on the bottom of the pot. If you don’t have a rack, use a folded tea towel.
5. Another large pot to boil water for blanching tomatoes.
6. Cold water and ice to cool blanched tomatoes fast.
7. Mason jars that are identifiably intended for hot water bath canning. NEW lids and rings for each jar.
8. Jar lifter or a lowering rack for the canner.
9. Kosher salt (and pepper if desired)
10. Lemon juice
11. Firm, ripe tomatoes in good shape. Plan for approximately 3 pounds per quart jar or 1.5 pounds per pint.
Directions
1. Freshly wash jars in hot soapy water. Rinse and set aside to drain. Not necessary to sterilize jars that will be processed at least 10 minutes.
2. Wash tomatoes in cool water. Set aside to drain.
3. Heat a big pot of water to boiling for blanching tomatoes.
4. Fill your canner with clean water and begin heating it to a boil. Make sure there’s a rack on the bottom to prevent the jars from touching the bottom during processing. Set a clean thick tea towel on the counter beside the canner to receive the HOT finished jars from the canner.
5. Wash and core the tomatoes. Cut an ‘X’ on the bottom. Set aside.
6. Fill a sink or basin with ice water – deep enough for all the tomatoes to fit and be cooled.
7. In stages (no more than 8 tomatoes at a time), drop scored tomatoes into the boiling water and let sit for approximately 3 minutes, or until you the skins begin to split.
8. Remove tomatoes from boiling water and immediately drop into ice bath to arrest the cooking process.
9. When tomatoes are cooled, peel them with a sharp knife. The skins should slip off easily. (SAVE THE SKINS – see below)
10. Cut the tomatoes into halves or quarters (depending how big they are).
11. Pack cut tomatoes into freshly cleaned jars, pushing down with your hand, to make the tomato juice come to the surface. Leave 1 inch (2 cm) headspace.
12. Add 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of salt to each quart. Half that amount for each pint.
13. Remove air bubbles with a long table knife. Wipe the top of your jars with a clean hot cloth to ensure they are perfectly clean. Put a clean lid on the jar, with a with ring – finger tightened. (Don’t tighten the lid excessively.)
14. Use jar lifter to slowly lower jars into hot water. Finish bringing water to boil, or if its already boiled, return to a rolling boil. Jars should be covered by water by about two inches.
15. Begin timing once water has returned to a full rolling boil.
40 minutes for pint jars, 45 minutes to quart jars. If water is boiling violently, reduce the heat to keep it rolling.
16. When the timer goes off, remove jars slowly to the prepared clean tea towel. Set jars on the towel, keeping some air space between them. Loosely cover the jars with a thin clean tea towel. Allow to cool undisturbed for at least 12 hours.
17. When completely cooled, wipe jars with a hot wet cloth and label the lid with date and ingredients.
Roasted Tomato Sauce
I make my tomato sauce with roasted tomatoes. Once you’ve tried it, you’ll never go back to the old way of boiling on the stove top.
The instructions are pretty simple and easy to customize.
Put them into your biggest pyrex cake pan, or roaster in the oven at 350F.
OR if you’re making a LOT, use an electric roaster set to 350F. Be creative, use what you have.
Don’t can overripe tomatoes. Eat those today. If you have more than you can eat, make tomato soup for supper tonight and give a jar to your neighbour.
Or use them to make tomato paste and then have pizza for supper tomorrow. But don’t can them because the sugar has displaced most of the acid.
Step 1
Wash tomatoes.
Step 2
Remove blossom/core end.
Chop tomatoes and put them in a large baking pan at 350F.
Step 3
Be patient. This is gonna take a long time. 2-3 hours. Maybe even more if you have a lot. I’ve got 15 pounds in this roaster.
Stir every 15 minutes or so to keep from scorching.
Step 4
2 hours in. Add salt and pepper.
I added 1 Tablespoon of each for 15 pounds of tomatoes. If you’re doing less in the oven, start with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Easier to add more later than to take it away lol.
Repeat step 3.
Step 5
Add seasoning of your choice. For this amount, I added
1 big handful of dried oregano
1 medium handful of dried basil
1 slightly smaller handful of dried thyme
a heaping tablespoon of homemade Garlic Salt1
Step 6
I like to add a little tomato powder to most tomato recipes. It adds more Tomato-Zing, and helps to thicken a little. In its place, you can add tomato paste if you have it. Otherwise don’t worry about it.
INSERT:
If you’re planning to can this tomato sauce, get your canner filled with water and on the stove. Bring it to a boil over high heat. Make sure you’ve got a rack in the bottom to prevent the jars from being sitting directly on the bottom.
Have your jars ready with lids and rings handy.
You’ll be hot-packing the sauce so you don’t want to fill the jars until they’re ready to go into hot water. This simply means that you’re packing HOT sauce into the jar, and putting the jar into a HOT water bath canner. Hopefully both jar and water will be in a similar range of HOT.
Step 7
Stir it all in and be patient a little while longer. When most of the water is gone, and the texture is looking ‘saucey’, you’re just about done. At this point, I take about 1/3 of the sauce and zip-zip it for a couple of seconds in the blender, then mix back in.
You can puree all or nothing, depending on your personal preferences. I like the sauce, but I also like some texture.
NOTE: If I intend to can the sauce, I do not add onion or garlic cloves, or any type of vegetable. The only thing I add is seasoning. I don’t want to compromise high acid tomatoes with low acid vegetables. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. If you add low acid ingredients, the sauce must be canned in a pressure canner. Most of the time, I can’t be bothered doing that, so I opt to add NO low acid foods – other than seasoning.
For more information, click the image below.
Step 8
Add lemon juice to the finished sauce. You’re going to have to estimate unless you want to measure it out. About 1/4 cup lemon juice for 2 quarts (4 pints or 8 cups) of sauce. Better to put in a little more than necessary, than to be under. Stir to distribute the lemon juice.
By the time you’re to this point, hopefully your water is ready to receive some jars.
Step 9
Using a wide mouth funnel, and using a big scoop begin measuring out into jars. 2 cups into pint jars, 4 cups into quart jars. Leave about 2 cm head space (just under an inch). Adjust by taking away a spoon here or there, or With a clean, hot, wet dishcloth wipe the jar rim to ensure its perfectly clean. Put the lid on, screw the ring on to hold the lid down – snug but not super tight.
Step 10
Put the jars into the canner with almost boiling water.
Make sure there is enough water to cover the highest jar by 1-2 inches of water.
Turn the heat up and start watching for it to reach a FULL rolling boil. When it does, set the timer for 40 minutes for pints or 45 minutes for quarts.
Don’t go too far away. Keep an eye on the boiling water. If its too violent, the jars may bang together – adjust the heat down a bit. If its not boiling completely, turn the heat up and start your timer over again.
Step 11
When the timer goes off, the sauce is finished. Turn the heat off, and one by one remove the jars to set on a clean, thick tea towel. Leave a little space between the jars to cool slowly. I usually drape a clean tea towel over top to ensure they down cool down too quickly.
GOOD JOB! Now you can start listening for that wonderful ‘ping’ sound telling you the jars sealed.
Let the jars sit there at least 12 hours. Then label and put away.
Salsa
This is my daughter Sarah’s long standing salsa recipe. She takes it from a favourite book of ours – Patti Shenfield’s “Flavors of Home” published 1994.
Sarah has tweaked it a little over the years and she’s flexible with what she has on hand.
15 lb tomatoes, peeled and chopped (5 quarts / litres)
5 fresh jalapeno peppers seeded and chopped (save the seed from 2)
10 cups chopped white or yellow onions
2 large green peppers finely chopped
2 cups white vinegar (higher acid than other varieties)
1 cup tomato powder or 12 ounces tomato paste
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
4 large garlic cloves minced
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons cayenne
Prepare 14 pint jars or 7 quart jars.
Blanch and peel all tomatoes using the system outline above. (Remember to save the skins to dehydrate later.)
Because of the ‘other’ ingredients, this combination food MUST be processed in a pressure canner. I know that’s not practical and I know you probably don’t have a pressure canner, and yes, I know they’re expensive. Sorry about all that inconvenience, but let me clarify: because of the large amounts onions and peppers and cloves of garlic used in this recipe – THIS IS A PRESSURE CANNING RECIPE. In my book, it recommends 10 lb pressure 30 minutes for quarts (25 minutes for pints). That’s what I would personally go with because that is the recommended time and pressure for onions.
Tomato Juice
recipe to follow
Tomato Jam
recipe to follow
Dehydrating Tomatoes
post in progress
including tomato skins
as of August 26, 2026 this post is still a work in progress . . . . sorry for the inconvenience. I hope to finish it within a day or two. Thanks for your patience.
warmly,
Cindy
footnotes:
- my cousin Kim’s Garlic Salt, made from garlic she dried ↩︎