Adventures in Canning
I started canning about 8 years ago and feel like I’m still muddling my way through. My sister keeps saying she wants to come and watch and learn so she can do it too, but life and schedules always get in the way, so this seemed like it would be the best step by step way to illustrate.
First, at least in my case, after admitting that the garden is a failure, I head up the local farmer’s market and buy a bushel of tomatoes.
Then I get the pots ready. One in the canning pot, and the other to blanch and skin the tomatoes.
Then one sink with ice water (also for skinning) and the pot for mashing.
I score the bottom of the tomatoes with a crisscross then plop in boiling water for about 30-60 seconds.
Next they go in the ice water (the ice had long melted in this photo) and the skin comes right off.
Then the mashing. This part is a lot of fun unless you have any papercuts (!).
After they’re all mashed up, they need to be cooked for about 15 minutes.
Each quart gets a some salt and lemon juice. I put a teaspoon of each in each jar. I think I could have done tablespoon but I was feeling a little conservative.
Leave a 1/4 inch headspace in each jar, then make sure the rim is clean, put on the lid and screw on the cap, just finger tight.
Then process for 45 minutes.
This was full swing on the second half bushel.
Done! 1 bushel = exactly 24 quarts this time around.
This is a beautiful capture of your canning adventure. Thanks for spelling it out for me. I still want to come over and watch. Maybe I bring tomatoes, the juicer, and we juice up some Bloody Marys while we can some tomatoes. Some much needed sister time.