Let’s Talk Tomatoes

Gardeners have a love affair with tomatoes, even in the shortened growing season here in Sierra County. They are at all of the farmers markets in the area right now, at their ripest.

What kind of tomatoes are best for canning? Generally, paste tomatoes are best for canning. They are meatier and have less liquid. Canned products are firmer and heartier. They do not need to be cooked down as long when making sauce. Some examples of this type are Martino’s Roma, Amish Paste, and Beefsteak variations.

Slicing tomatoes are great for fresh eating. They are safe to can and dehydrate, but have a lot of natural liquid that makes products mushy. Save them for your salads and sandwiches.

Cherry tomatoes are great for fresh eating. There are only a few tested canning recipes using cherry tomatoes. This is because most tomato recipes were tested using peeled tomatoes. Let’s be honest, we do not want to peel cherry tomatoes!

This tested recipe for tomato jam is easy to make:

TOMATO JAM (SPICED) PECTIN

with powdered pectin

• 3 cups prepared tomatoes (prepare about 2 1/4 pounds tomatoes)

• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon rind

• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1/4 cup lemon juice

• 4 1/2 cups sugar

• 1 box powdered pectin

Yield: About 5 half-pint jars

Procedure:

To Prepare Tomatoes – Wash firm ripe tomatoes. Scald, peel, and chop tomatoes. Place chopped tomatoes in saucepan and heat slowly to simmering, stirring constantly to prevent sticking and burning. Cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Measure 3 cups of the cooked tomatoes into a large saucepan. Add lemon rind, allspice, cinnamon, and cloves.

To Make Jam – Sterilize canning jars. Add lemon juice to the prepared tomatoes in the saucepan. Measure sugar and set aside. Stir powdered pectin into prepared tomatoes. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. At once, stir in sugar. Stir and bring to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Then boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat. Skim off foam. Pour hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened clean paper towel; adjust two-piece metal canning lids. Process in a boiling water or steam canner. With jars packed hot, half-pints or pints are processed for 5 minutes at elevations of 0 to 1,000 feet, 10 minutes at 1,001 to 6,000 feet, and 15 minutes above 6,000 feet.

This recipe was adapted from “So Easy to Preserve,” 6th edition, 2014. Bulletin 989, Cooperative Extension Service, The University of Georgia, Athens. Revised by Elizabeth L. Andress, Ph.D., and Judy A. Harrison, Ph.D., Extension Foods Specialists.