The Tomatoes Have Arrived...Canning has Begun

It's not a farmers market in Chicago unless you see a tomato. I'm not saying that they are always delicious and plentiful but they are always there. Around late August when tomatoes are finally harvested around the Midwest the Chicagoland farmer markets fill their stalls with all varieties of tomatoes. Although I planted my own little tomato heaven upstairs on my rooftop, my harvest will not yield nearly enough tomatoes for canning. These tomatoes will be used throughout the winter months. So on this sunny Saturday afternoon I set out to the Lincoln park farmers market at LPHS to find some tomatoes suitable for canning.

First, I want to mention that I love the market at LPHS. It is smaller than Green City but the variety is great and it's well priced. On this particular outing I was looking for yield. Nichols Farm always has large crates of various tomatoes for around 14-20 dollars so that would be my first stop. Low and behold, there they were, crates of tomatoes for 14 dollars. I snatched up a crate, grabbed a peach for the road and headed back home to battle my 20 lb crate of toms.

I have struggled with canning in the past. I would slave away in my tiny kitchen canning crates of tomatoes only to have them explode days later, ridden with bacteria and fungus. Yuck!
This year I was determined to succeed. Luckily "Bon Appetite" happen to have an article in the August issue on canning.  I don't follow instructions well so here is my synthesized version.

Step 1. Sanitation.
Killing all the nasty critters both in the jars and lids is imperative. These can include E. coli and salmonella. This is simply done by boiling the ball jars and lids in a large stock pot of water for 10 minutes. The key is that the water needs to reach 100 degrees celcius and therefore needs to be boiling.

Step 2. Prep those tomatoes
While you sanitize, start prepping your tomatoes. Give them a quick rinse with cold water then begin scoring the bottom of each tomato with an x. This little x will help you remove the skin. Once you have a good amount of tomatoes scored, place them in a bowl and completely cover them with boiling water. Let them sit in the hot jacuzzi until you see the skins peeling away from the meaty flesh. Using a sharp paring knife start peeling of the skins and cutting off each tomato top. Do this over a bowl and collect any juices that escapes.

Step 3. Grab the basil and pack them in
Into each clean ball jar add a couple of clean basil leaves(I used mine from my garden) and start adding the peeled tomatoes. If you are using a small jar you could probably get 5-7 into each jar. The large jars hold 10-13. Add tomatoes to the rim of the jar. Fill the spaces between the tomatoes with any juice left behind or by smashing the tomatoes down. You do not want air packets between the tomatoes. A spatula can assist in the smashing process.

Step 4. Processing
Processing the jars is the key to a successful canning session. Place a lid on each jar and tighten the lid till it's finger tipped tightened, meaning you could unscrew it using little force. Place the jars onto a wire rack in a large stock pot and cover them completely with water. Bring the water to boil. Once it is boiling, begin timing. It is imperative that the jars remain at 100 degrees celcius for 10 minutes to kill any bacteria or mold lingering on the tomatoes or basil.
****Caution: some fruit and veggies need to be heated to 130 degrees celcius to kill C. botulinum, the bacteria that causes botulism. This high temperature can only be achieved with a pressure cooker.***
After 10 minutes of boiling carefully remove the jars from the boiling water and set them on a dish towel on the counter-top. Let them sit for 24 hours un-disrupted.

Step 5. The test
After 24 hours of rest, test to see if your jars are pressure sealed by pushing the little button on the lid of each jar. If it gives, your jars did not seal correctly and will need to be stored in the refrigerator. These should be consumed within 7 days. If there is no give...congrats you just successfully sealed your jars. Store these in a dark cool place to use in the winter. Make sure to check on these regularly just in case.

Look for recipes to come using your canned tomatoes.