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Pressure Can tomatoes?

another_buffalo

11 years ago

I do understand that tomatoes can be water bath canned, but that takes a longer cooking time than with the pressure canner. Just wondering if you can tell the difference between pressure canned and water bath canned tomatoes? Which method would you prefer?

If adding zuccini or okra to the tomatoes, it must be pressure canned, correct?
Carol

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Comments (5)

digdirt2
11 years ago
If adding zucchini or okra yes it must be pressure canned. No BWB option because of the low acidity.

Just wondering if you can tell the difference between pressure canned and water bath canned tomatoes?

NCHFP says the pressure canning "results in higher quality and more nutritious canned tomato products". Personally I agree and much prefer PCd tomatoes over BWB. I think the color is brighter and the fruit is more firm.

But it is a question that has been debated before and I know others will disagree so it boils down to personal preference.

Some feel it takes as much if not more time to PC them when you factor in the up-to-pressure and the cool down time but it works faster for us as it fits into wife and my routine with multiple PCs going at the same time. I feel it uses less electricity and gas and I don't have to keep adding water to it as I do with the BWB when it runs for 85 mins.

All you can do is try both methods and see which you prefer.

Dave
another_buffalo
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks Dave
Lets hope the weather is better this year and we have LOTS of tomatoes to can. If that is the case, I don't mind experimenting. But if it turns out to be a limited quantity I'd like to do it the best way possible.

There is no global warming around here this spring. Its the first blackberry winter that I can remember. Snow expected in may. I had already set out tomatoes and peppers and lost them all. I'm telling myself that it is a minor setback - and will catch up in a month or so. But I'll be covering the few tomatoes that I set out this week - and covering the blooming blackberries.
Carol
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Sour salt and citric acid are the same thing. There is no question about that. Health food stores carry citric acid. Have you checked them? And as I said in your other long thread, you are clearly shopping in the wrong stores for canning supplies but since we have no idea where you live, we can't direct you to the better stores. You'll have to find them yourself. But if you can't find it or you don't want to spend the money on it and you don't want to order online - as you have made abundently clear - then just use the lemon juice. You have already made up your mind that it will "ruin your tomatoes" even though you have never even tried it. So even though you have no basis for that opinion, you'd likely say the same thing about citric acid if you ever got it. We can tell you till we are blue in the face that it won't but you won't agree and we just keep debating the same things over and over and over. So, since it is clear that you don't wish to add either, don't. As we have all said several times, just skip it if you want. It's your risk to take. You don't seem to be inclined to believe us that it is needed anyway. greenhouser - You are honestly making the whole process of home canning so complicated that it will never be any fun for you and that is sad because that is half the joy of doing it. Dave PS: I honestly cannot imagine how anyone could spend $300 on canning equipment even if they foolishly bought an All American pressure canner unless they have no idea how to comparison shop or are paying artificially inflated prices for things or buying equipment they really don't need. But it's your money.
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Thanks Carol. I grow a variety of tomatoes and found the mixture wonderful for an "almost fresh" quick cook sauce in winter the last time I canned them. Soooo much better than canned tomatoes. I used a BWB method because I did not have a pressure canner and didn't want to invest until I knew if I would ever do it again. It was so nice to have that winter that I have been itching to do it again ever since. Because of that, the reports of better quality from it, and because of the versatility of a pressure canner, I invested. I just don't have experience with this method, and obviously my experience with the BWB was limited, lol. It worked out quite well, though. I have my first batch just heating up in the canner now. It is 90 degrees out and the AC is on, so I will probably go with the 15 lb, 15 minute method. I do tend to over think and over research things sometimes, esp when I am concerned about safety. This year my tomatoes will some mixture of the one of each plant I have of Rutgers, Jet Star, Brandywine, Anna Russian, Kosovo, Orange Minx, Kellogg's Breakfast, KBX, Cherokee Purple, Donskoi, Reif Red Heart, and Costoluto Genovese.
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Carol, I was just writing in to say Just THAT!! You took the words out of my mouth. I can not for the life of me, understand those guidelines!! I like to think I'm fairly intelligent, but as much as I love the info on the NCFHP, I just couldn't figure out the processing times. Thank you Carol and Dave! You clarified what I just couldn't understand. So I was able to can 8 pints of crushed tomatoes, after your advice. And I hit and kept the 15 lb of pressure for 15 minutes easily with hardly any temp adjustments. The whole process took much longer because I took my time double checking everything and it all went smoothly from processing to lifting them out, after waiting 75 minutes (just to be sure)for the canner to cool down. I have another batch to can tomorrow and I can't wait. I don't have another rack so I can layer them together like I'd like to. Thank you for the advice, you don't know how much I appreciate it! And I will add an index card or small notebook in my Pressure canner box, so next year I can read what I did. Thank you for the idea, Carol! ~ Amanda
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kriswrite
11 years ago
Actually, by the time you vent the PC and so forth, I find it takes longer to pressure can the tomatoes. But no, there is no difference otherwise.
dgkritch
11 years ago
I'm in the BWB camp. For MY uses, and in MY kitchen it works better, isn't so hot and steamy, and we're fine with the slightly softer product as they are used in soups and stews anyway, I just add them a little later to the soup.

I completely agree with Dave that it's personal preference. Both are tested and produce an acceptable product.

Wishing you bushels of tomatoes!!
Deanna
myfamilysfarm
10 years ago
I WB outside on a turkey fryer during the heat of summer, just need to make sure the fryer is out of drafts. All the heat is outside with the other heat.

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