Canned Whole Tomatoes With Basil And Garlic Recipes

Steps:

• Place 4 quart jars or 8 pints along with the two-piece caps in hot, soapy water. Rinse well and drain. Heat jars and lids in simmering water (180 degrees) and allow them to stand there until ready to use.
• Select fresh Roma Tomatoes at their peak of quality. Use firm tomatoes, free of cracks and spots. Remove the stem and using a paring knife make a small "X" cut through the skin on the top of the tomato. Place large stock pot on the stove filled with water and bring to a rolling boil. Place the tomatoes in a wire basket and lower them into the boiling water. Blanch tomatoes 30 to 60 seconds or until the skin at the top of the tomato starts to peel away from the "X" mark carved into the top. Dip the tomatoes immediately into cold water to stop the cooking process. Once again using the paring knife, slip the skins off the tomatoes beginning at the "X" mark and leave the Roma Tomatoes whole. Place the peeled tomatoes into another large sauce pot adding just enough water to cover by one inch. Bring the water to a rolling boil and cook tomatoes 5 minutes. While tomatoes are cooking, remove the canning jars from the hot water along with the lids and place on a towel. Add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in each jar. Carefully pack the hot tomatoes into the jar placing 2 Basil leaves and 4 cloves of garlic into each jar at alternating levels for eye appeal. Carefully ladle the hot cooking liquid over the tomatoes leaving one half inch of head space. Top with 1 teaspoon each of salt and Hot Sauce.
• Move the jar gently to remove any air bubbles that may have formed around the tomatoes. Repeat two or three times. Screw down the lid and rim firmly onto the jar and place in a simmering water bath for approximately 45 minutes. Remove from hot water and set aside to cool. Once cool, check lids for proper sealing, label and store in a cool, dark place.

Steps:

• Notes:.
• Do not refrigerate tomatoes, as refrigeration undermines the flavor.
• Though tomatoes are a fruit, they are usually pH 4.5 to 4.6, which is right on the borderline of foods you can safely process in a water bath, so you have to acidify them by adding lemon juice or citric acid if you are planning to process them in a water bath. You can do this by adding 1/4 teaspoon citric acid or 2 tablespoons lemon juice per pint. Citric acid is sold in the US under the name "Fruit Fresh", and can be bought at most grocery stores. If you choose to use lemon juice to acidify your tomatoes, use bottled lemon juice, because bottled commercial lemon juice has a consistent pH, and fresh lemons can vary in acidity.
• Sometimes you remove tomatoes from the boiling water bath canner to find that the pulp has separated from the juice. This is caused by an enzyme in the tomato that becomes activated when the tomato is exposed to air, either by skinning and/or cutting and crushing. The enzyme breaks down pectin, causing the solids and liquids to separate. The sooner the skinned, crushed or cut tomatoes are heated, the better, as heat stops the enzymatic action (this is also why you almost always blanch foods before freezing them). Regardless of separation, these tomatoes are still perfectly safe to eat.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water, count off 10 seconds, and then remove.
• With a sharp paring knife, slit the tomato skins and peel them off. They will come off easily. Core the tomatoes and tear them in half, squeezing out the seeds. Toss into a pot. Drop the skins and seeds into a colander over a bowl. A lot of tomato juice is saved this way, which you can add to your canned tomatoes or drink fresh.
• Crush the tomatoes. You can use a food processor or a tomato masher. Chunks are OK.
• Heat the tomatoes and boil gently for 5 minutes. The tomatoes may get a bit foamy on top - that's OK.
• Have ready 6 pint-sized canning jars. Into each jar, place 1/4 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of citric acid OR 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Ladle in the hot tomatoes, leaving 1/2 to 3/4 inch of headspace in each jar. Wipe the rims, set on the lids, and screw on the bands fingertip tight.
• Place the jars in a boiling water bath and add enough water to cover the jars by 3 inches. Process the tomatoes for 40 minutes, making sure that the jars are covered with at least 1 inch of water the whole time. If the jars are not covered by water at any point, you have to delete the time that the cans were not totally submerged, add water, bring back to a boil, and begin timing again, deducting any time in which the jars were not submerged.
• When you remove the tomatoes from the boiling water bath, if some pulp fizzes out of the jars, don't panic; they will probably still seal.
• Let the jars sit, undisturbed, for at least 12 hours before checking seals. It is important to let them sit undisturbed for 12 hours because the sealing compound on the lids is still cooling and hardening, completing the seal. While the jars cool, you will hear a "plink" type sound from each jar - this is the jars completing the vacuum seal as the final air escapes the jar. After 12 hours have passed, remove the bands and check the lids - press down in the center of the lid. If you cannot push the lid down any further, the jar is sealed. If the lid "gives" a bit, and you can push it down, the jar did not seal. If any jars did not seal, place them in the fridge and use within a week.