Key Takeaways:
- You can preserve fresh tomatoes at home. Canning is a convenient way to save ripe garden tomatoes for use throughout the year in soups, sauces, stews, chili, and other dishes.
- Choose high-quality tomatoes. Use firm, ripe, disease-free tomatoes whenever possible. Do not can tomatoes that are damaged, decayed, or harvested from dead or frost-killed vines.
- Always acidify tomatoes before canning. Current recommendations call for adding bottled lemon juice, citric acid, or 5% acidity vinegar to help ensure a safe acidity level.
- Boiling water and pressure canning can both be used for tomatoes when following a tested procedure. Pressure canning does not eliminate the need for acidification in tested tomato procedures that require it.
- Do not improvise canning recipes. Changing the amount of tomatoes, vegetables, herbs, onions, garlic, or other ingredients can affect acidity, density, processing time, and food safety. Use a tested recipe from a reliable food-preservation source.
- Properly canned tomatoes can make garden harvests last much longer. Once processed and cooled according to a tested recipe, label the jars with the contents and date and store them in a cool, dry, dark place.
Overview
Yes, you can tomatoes at home to preserve fresh garden tomatoes for soups, sauces, stews, pasta dishes, and other recipes throughout the year. The safest approach is to use fresh, firm, disease-free tomatoes and follow a tested home-canning recipe. Because tomato acidity can vary by variety and ripeness, current home-canning guidance recommends adding bottled lemon juice, citric acid, or 5% acidity vinegar to canned tomatoes before processing. Proper acidification is important whether you use a boiling water canner or a pressure canner.
If you want to learn how to can Italian-style tomatoes with Italian herbs, you’ve come to the right place. This recipe was originally published in 2019 and remains a favorite way to preserve the fresh flavor of garden tomatoes.
Fall is the season of golden leaves, shorter and cooler days, cozy sweaters, and, yes, canning Italian tomatoes. Did that last one surprise you? I know many people no longer can their own food. Maybe there’s not enough time, you’re unsure how to get started, or you don’t know which canning supplies you need. I completely understand. These are all valid reasons to skip home canning. But for me, knowing exactly what goes into my food is worth the effort. The best way to have that control is to grow your own vegetables and preserve them yourself.
As my vegetable garden reaches its peak and begins to wind down for the season, my tomato plants are often loaded with ripe, juicy tomatoes. That makes it the perfect time to preserve their naturally sweet, rich flavor. From flavorful sauces and hearty stewed tomatoes to roasted, dehydrated, and whole canned tomatoes, there are so many delicious ways to enjoy your garden harvest long after tomato season is over.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, Fred and I absolutely love tomatoes! They are the heart and soul of our home-canned produce. Throughout the winter, I turn them into delicious pizza and pasta sauces, hearty soups, flavorful stews, chili, and so much more. The list goes on and on, and every bit of it is oh-so-YUM!
If you’re ready to start canning Italian-style tomatoes or other fresh vegetables, there are a few basic canning supplies you’ll need. The great news is that these are worthwhile investments because you can use them again and again for many years to come.
What supplies do I need for Canning Tomatoes?
Canning Essentials:
General Method for Canning
Step-by-Step Method:
Make sure your canning jars are clean, intact, and free from chips or cracks. I run the jars and rings through the sanitize cycle of my dishwasher.
Always use new canning lids. Do not reuse previously used lids.
Fill the prepared jars with the vegetables you are canning, leaving the appropriate headspace recommended by a trusted canning guide.
Place the lid on the jar, add the ring, and tighten it by hand until it is fingertip tight.
Process high-acid vegetables using a water bath canner.
Low-acid vegetables, such as peas, corn, and beans, must be processed in a pressure canner. Use a reliable, up-to-date resource such as the Ball Blue Book to determine the correct pressure, temperature, and processing time for each vegetable.
A trusted home-canning guide is essential for safe canning. Make sure you know which vegetables require pressure canning and carefully follow the recommended processing times and pressure levels.
For Water Bath Canning
Place the filled jars in the canner and add enough water to cover the jars by at least 1 inch.
Bring the water to a full boil and process the jars for the recommended amount of time for your specific recipe and elevation.
Carefully remove the jars from the canner and allow them to cool undisturbed.
Once the jars have cooled, check the seals by pressing down on the center of each lid. A properly sealed lid should not flex or move when pressed. If the center pops up and down, the jar has not sealed properly.
Label each jar with the month and year it was canned so you can keep track of storage time.
Properly canned tomatoes are best used within two years for quality, provided the jars remain sealed and have been stored in a cool, dry, dark place.
Italian Style Canned Tomatoes:
- First, blanch, peel, and dice the tomatoes.
- Chop the fresh herbs, including oregano, basil, and parsley.
- Combine all the ingredients and fill the canning jars, leaving about 1 inch of headspace.
- Place the lids on the jars and secure them with the rings.
- Process the jars in a water bath canner for 20 minutes.
- Tomatoes are naturally high-acid foods. When canned on their own or with herbs, they generally do not require pressure canning. However, adding peppers, onions, garlic, and other ingredients can lower the overall acidity of the mixture, so a tested pressure-canning method should be followed for safe preservation.
Canned Whole Tomatoes
Canned whole tomatoes. Instead of chopping the tomatoes and adding onions, peppers, and herbs, pack the whole tomatoes into a quart jar. Add one teaspoon of salt, then process the jar of whole tomatoes in a water bath. For extra flavor, add fresh herbs to the jar along with the tomatoes.
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FAQ
How many tomatoes do I need to make a quart of canned tomatoes?
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Do I need to cook the tomatoes before I can them?
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Final Thoughts
Canning your own tomatoes is a wonderful way to preserve the flavor of a bountiful garden harvest and enjoy homegrown tomatoes long after the growing season ends. With the right supplies, proper preparation, and safe canning methods, you can turn fresh, ripe tomatoes into a versatile pantry staple for soups, stews, sauces, pasta, pizza, and more.
Whether you choose to can whole tomatoes or make Italian-style tomatoes with herbs, the key is to follow tested food-preservation guidelines and use the appropriate processing method. A little preparation during tomato season can give you delicious garden-fresh flavor to enjoy throughout the year.
So, when your garden is overflowing with ripe tomatoes, don’t let them go to waste. Preserve them now and enjoy the taste of summer in your meals all winter long.
