Tomatoville® Gardening Forums - View Single Post - Best method/process for managing harvest for canning

Structure · July 31, 2011

You've identified some of the major issues. Basically, the process you adopt will have to reflect your equipment, food desires, and garden size.

I use a tomato press to separate seeds and skin from the juice. So my input is fresh tomatoes and partially thawed tomatoes. If they are still too frozen the press doesn't run well. Since the press turns them into juice (suitable for a variety of uses), I'm not much worried over the loss of texture from freezing. When I want "chunk" or sliced tomatoes, I cut those fresh and pour in juice to cover. Everything then gets canned in a water bath (not pressure cooker) using about a tablespoon of lemon juice per jar.

Most years I also make marinara sauce (I like having some ready to go for those evenings in January when I get home from work and the family is clamoring and the there is no time to fool around) and ketchup.

If my garden was larger so I could get 30-40 lbs of fresh tomatoes at a time ready to can, then maybe I'd go batch by batch, but for me it isn't worth getting out the equipment and setting aside a few hours unless I have that amount. Freezing allows me to stockpile several weeks worth of "extras" (what we don't eat or sauce on a daily basis) until I have time and sufficient quantity to make an event out of it.

Once frozen, they lose texture. The flavor is good, but don't expect them to look nice. Basically they are mushy and give off water. Also the skins peel off easy. Freeze a few and you'll see.

I use the cheapest zip lock bags I can find and only single bag. They're just whole tomatoes for the most part and not prone to stressing the bag. I add 2, 3, or a dozen to the bag at a time when they hit ripeness and I see there's too many on the counter to eat.

July 31, 2011	#11
Structure Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: SLO, CA Posts: 99	You've identified some of the major issues. Basically, the process you adopt will have to reflect your equipment, food desires, and garden size. I use a tomato press to separate seeds and skin from the juice. So my input is fresh tomatoes and partially thawed tomatoes. If they are still too frozen the press doesn't run well. Since the press turns them into juice (suitable for a variety of uses), I'm not much worried over the loss of texture from freezing. When I want "chunk" or sliced tomatoes, I cut those fresh and pour in juice to cover. Everything then gets canned in a water bath (not pressure cooker) using about a tablespoon of lemon juice per jar. Most years I also make marinara sauce (I like having some ready to go for those evenings in January when I get home from work and the family is clamoring and the there is no time to fool around) and ketchup. If my garden was larger so I could get 30-40 lbs of fresh tomatoes at a time ready to can, then maybe I'd go batch by batch, but for me it isn't worth getting out the equipment and setting aside a few hours unless I have that amount. Freezing allows me to stockpile several weeks worth of "extras" (what we don't eat or sauce on a daily basis) until I have time and sufficient quantity to make an event out of it. Once frozen, they lose texture. The flavor is good, but don't expect them to look nice. Basically they are mushy and give off water. Also the skins peel off easy. Freeze a few and you'll see. I use the cheapest zip lock bags I can find and only single bag. They're just whole tomatoes for the most part and not prone to stressing the bag. I add 2, 3, or a dozen to the bag at a time when they hit ripeness and I see there's too many on the counter to eat.