Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Canning Tomatoes

There is just nothing better than rice and tomatoes and homemade biscuits. It's one of Cliff's and my favorite meals. And there are no better tomatoes in the world than the ones you can yourself. It kind of makes me feel like a pioneer woman. And although I can't make a decent biscuit to save my life, Cliff's mama can. I mean they are downright melt in your mouth delectable. And she loves to make them for us.


Of course, I didn't grow enough tomatoes to put up, so I headed on down to the farmers market to buy what I needed. Last summer, I canned 25 lbs. of tomatoes and they didn't last through the winter. So this year, I  bought twice that amount. Yep, 50 lbs. Well, law! When I started preparing the tomatoes, I got a little bit overwhelmed. I had to channel Granny to get through it. It took me nearly 4 hours to wash, blanch (makes peeling easy), and to cut them up.


 
But once that was done, I started prepping the jars and it felt like I could see light at the end of the tunnel. Humph! There's always something. It quickly became obvious that I would need more jars. After a quick trip to town, I was back in business.

I used the boiling water bath method and that took the rest of the day. Every year, I learn something new or a better way in the process than the year before. Next year, I'm definitely going to have a couple of gas burners to get the job done. The stove is too slow!!
 
I lost 2 jars because by the time I was ready to put the jars in the bath, they were a little too cool. When I put them in the hot water, the bottom just popped right off. I soon figured out that if I put the jar rack in place at the top of the pot and place the jars on it until the heat from the water below and the steam heated them up enough, I could submerge them in the boiling water bath, safely.


 


I finished with 11 quarts and 20 pints. I think that will do!!

Roll out the biscuits Ms. Wanda. We're ready for some tomatoes and rice!




 Laurie



22 comments:

  1. My late Mother-in-law...a sweet southern gal...and I used to can together every summer. We'd put up all kinds of goodies including tomatoes. I loved opening them on a cold, snowy day and remember how stinkin' hot it was when we put them up! I don't can anymore, but I do freeze the ones I get from my garden. Rice and tomatoes is a dish Jack enjoys too. I put bacon with the tomatoes...I don't know if that ruins it in your house but that's how my Mother-in-law did it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I use bacon on occasion, but mostly just a pat of butter will do. I also like to put okra in with the tomatoes. Yum! I've never frozen tomatoes. Do they taste as good as the canned ones?

      Delete
  2. Good job there Laurie!
    Lots of work, but so worth it!
    I also freeze tomatoes...great to add to soups or stews!
    Enjoy your day....still hot here!
    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

    ReplyDelete
  3. That's a lot of work! I used to can tomatoes. Not I freeze them for soups, etc. throughout the winter.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Isn't it amazing how 50 lbs. of tomatoes can be "compressed" into so relatively few jars??

    I spent the day canning, too. Two batches of dill pickles and one more of bread and butter pickles. It was a perfect day for it . . . we had a much needed steady rain all day and I didn't even get over-heated! Wanna pickle with your biscuits, tomatoes and rice?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Tomatoes and rice? That is something I've never had or even heard of! Must be southern! haha. Your jars of tomatoes look beautiful! I sure do love jars of summer produce...so charming!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi, I am visiting from Connie's blog. Lucky you to have that many tomatoes canned! I have never heard of tomatoes and rice on biscuits. Do you just mix rice in with your tomatoes and put over your biscuits? Nancy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Nancy, thanks for stopping by. We don't eat the tomatoes and rice over biscuits. The biscuits are on the side like rolls or cornbread would be. We season the tomatoes with either a piece of bacon or pat of butter and salt and pepper, of course. Then simmer until the tomatoes have cooked down and are soft. Usually takes 20-30 minutes. In the meantime I've cooked a pot of rice. To serve, spoon rice onto the plate and spoon a good helping of tomatoes over the rice. Eat along with your biscuit. That's a good southern meal, right there. Meat of your choice, of course. I'm mostly vegetarian so I forego the meat. Thanks again for stopping by. Hope you come again!

      Delete
  7. Hi, I am visiting from Connie's blog. Lucky you to have that many tomatoes canned! I have never heard of tomatoes and rice on biscuits. Do you just mix rice in with your tomatoes and put over your biscuits? Nancy

    ReplyDelete
  8. We grew our own cherry tomatoes for the first time this year, but the crop has been slow. Maybe next year we will have enough to can!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cherry tomatoes do well at my house. I always have a bumper crop, but I don't can those because peeling them would be torture....for me anyway. I'm so impatient.

      Hope you get enough next year, though.

      Delete
  9. I love the tomato season! Canning tomatoes is new for me... How do you store your jars now and for how long do they keep?
    My mum always freezes tomatoes, but our freezer is quite small. This seems like a great idea to have good tomatoes in the winter.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Sara, good to hear from you and thank you for all the nice comments on my other posts. The shelf-life on the canned tomatoes is pretty long. I would say 2-3 years maybe. But they don't last that long at my house because we eat them before that. I store them in my pantry. Some people will use them as part of their decorations and let them sit on their counters or open shelves in the kitchen. This is by far my favorite way to preserve tomatoes. They are so delicious. Thanks for stopping by. It's been a busy summer for me, how about you?

      Delete
  10. Your tomatoes look delicious! How wonderful that you do this and can have them for so long! Nothing like tomatoes, love them!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Nancy! I'm so glad someone invented the process of canning tomatoes. We love them too and now can enjoy them all winter long.

      Delete
  11. So far I haven't canned anything, but after reading this post I am very tempted to try it. Whenever I make jam or use the veggies out of my garden for cooking I have that "pioneer feeling" as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well then, you must try it Carola! Pioneer woman, that's us. Let me know, if you can some tomatoes.

      Delete
  12. Wow! That's a lot of work. Now that I'm not working, I must do more of making things from scratch. I'm never sure about the sterilizing method though. Tomatoes, rice and biscuits sounds like a simple but tasty meal. Best wishes, Tammy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Tammy, The Ball website has good info on canning veggies. You can do it! And oh my yes, this is a simple but delicious meal.

      Delete
  13. Really great work and effort indeed. Greetings!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much! Greetings to you, as well. How nice of you to visit. Please come by anytime.

      Delete