How to Can Like a Homesteader

Your summer harvest has boomed and now you are ready to save some of that goodness for the winter. Canning is a homesteading tradition that is a very good skill to have. Luckily, it’s quite simple and satisfying. Once you’ve read this, you’ll know how to can and feel proud of what you can accomplish!

Basics of Canning

Canning is a way to preserve veggies/fruit/meat by removing oxygen and preventing the growth of bacteria, molds, etc. in a high vacuum sealed jar. Once you have gathered your fruit or vegetable of choice, it’s important to properly inspect them for any dirt, signs of bugs, or disease. I’ll be talking about how to can diced tomatoes in this blog. But, the process of canning is generally the same for most fruits/veggies. The processing time is what can differ, along with the ingredients.

It’s very important to always sterilize your mason jars and self sealing screw on lids. Boil these in water for 10 minutes to sterilize them. This process is needed for anything you wish to can to ensure there will be no contaminates. Once you have followed the specific recipe for whatever it is you are canning, wipe the mouth of the jar to ensure no ingredients are left on the rim. Then place the screw on lid on the jar. Do not tighten it all the way, this allows it to seal while it is in the water bath.

Fill a canning pot or very large pot with water and bring to a boil. The water should just cover over the first few rims of the screw lid. Now, allow them to boil and hear the lids pop! Such a nice sound to know- yes! I did it! Most jams/jellies process in the water bath for about 10 minutes. Tomatoes take 85 minutes. It will be important to look up your elevation and use this website to know how long to process your jar in the water bath.

After your jar has processed and it has cooled for 12-24 hours, press the middle of the lid with your finger. If it springs up once you lift your finger, your lid did not seal. If it remains down, hooray! You did it! If it did not seal, just store it in the fridge and enjoy sooner rather than later. Otherwise, your canned items should be a good for a year stored in the pantry.

How to Can Tomatoes

Let’s talk about canning tomatoes! After you’ve found your disease and insect free tomatoes, wash them thoroughly. Next, bring a pot to boil and blanch your tomatoes for 30-60 seconds and then dunk them in cold water. This helps the outer peeling come off easily.

Once you have peeled the skin off the tomatoes, dice them up and rake the seeds out. Your sterilized mason jars should be ready at this point. For a quart jar, put 1 tsp of salt in the bottom of the jar and then fill the jar with diced tomatoes using a funnel. Then, add 2 tbsp of bottled lemon juice to the jar of tomatoes. This ensures that the tomatoes will have the proper level of acidity for preservation. Do not use fresh lemon juice as the acidity is not always 5%. It is important to have acidity to prevent C. botulinum spores from geminating in your food.

Leave 1/2 in headspace at the top of your jar and place the screw lid on. Place it in your boiling water bath and boil for the appropriate amount of time for your elevation. Where we live, it is 85 mins. This time of processing kills microorganisms and helps your food not spoil. Remove the jars with your jar lifter and allow to cool. Do not tighten the lids as this may cut through the gasket and cause the seal to break. Remember to let it cool for 12-24 hours then check the seal.

Check out our strawberry jam recipe for more ideas to can!

How to Can Diced Tomatoes

Are you wondering what to do with your surplus of tomatoes this year? Try this easy canning recipe. Once you've stored them, they can be used in soups, sauces, etc!

This recipe makes enough for 1 quart sized mason jar. Just double it more triple it if you have more tomatoes!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Equipment

• 1 Large Canning Pot
• 1 Funnel
• 1 32 oz Mason Jar
• Screw on Lid for Mason Jar

Ingredients

  

• 2-3 lb tomatoes
• 1 tsp Real Salt
• 2 tbsp Bottled Lemon Juice

Instructions

 

• Sterilize your Mason Jar and Lid
• Thoroughly wash your selected tomatoes. Ensure they have no signs of disease/insects
• Blanch tomatoes in boiling water for 30-60 seconds. Then dip them in cold water. This allows the skin to come off easily.
• Remove the skin from the tomatoes. Dice the tomatoes and remove seeds.
• Add 1 tsp of salt to the bottom of your sterilized quart size mason jar. Then add the diced tomatoes. Leave 1/2 in of headspace at the top of the jar.
• Add 2 tbsp of bottled lemon juice to the jar of tomatoes. Place the lid on, but do not screw on all the way. You can shake it to mix it up.
• Place jar in a boiling water bath up to the first two screw lines on the jar. Allow it to process for approximately 85 minutes.
• Once your jar has processed, lift it out and allow it to cool for 12-24 hours. Inspect to makes sure the seal is down. Then store in a pantry!

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