Tomato canning question

16 years ago

I'm new to canning just plain tomatoes and have a few questions. I want to process the tomatoes using the salsa screen on the villaware and I'll be doing a BWB. I can only find processing times for sauce and whole tomatoes (maybe I'm looking in the wrong place). Do I use the processing time for sauce? I also have some "acid blend" that I'd like to use. It's a mix a citric, malic, and tartaric acids. Can I use that instead of the citric acid? My acid blend is several years old , does the acid blend powder expire/lose it's potency? I'd prefer not to make a special trip to the brewing store for more acid.

Thanks!

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Comments (4)

readinglady
16 years ago
I think probably what you're describing comes closest to crushed tomatoes, but as the time is the same as for sauce, that would work.

Acid blend has been discussed on the Forum before, but no one has obtained information on its relative strength compared to straight citric acid. Consequently, the only thing members have recommended it for is such things as jams to enhance tartness. I wouldn't recommend it as a substitute in tomatoes.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Crushed Tomatoes (No Added Liquid)
Linda_Lou
16 years ago
No, you cannot safely use the acid blend. I asked Elizabeth Andress, the lady who wrote the USDA guidelines and she said no, it would not be a substitute. You need either bottled lemon juice or citric acid crystals.
I would use the time for crushed tomatoes and use a hot pack, as well.
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Don't feel like a dummy, we aren't born knowing this stuff - we've all had to learn it. I was on my way out earlier, but I'll touch on your other questions - knowing there are others here who can often explain it much better than I can.:) I process tomatoes (in juice) 25 min at 10#s in my weighted gauge canner (at sea level). I'm happy with the results from that amount of time but it wouldn't surprise me to learn its a matter of personal preference. As to your loss of product in your batch of tomatoes, it sounds like you could have had some siphoning. Was the water in your canner discolored with tomato/tomato juice when you opened the canner? First, headspace is 1/2"....it's specific and given for a reason, so try to adhere to that. Siphoning is due to improper pressure canning techniques - too much heat adjustment (did you find yourself playing with the dial on your stove to keep pressure constant. With my own quirky stove, I have to slowly lower burner temp with the dial, if I get impatient and lower too much too fast, I'll find myself having to increase it again - and that's not good), improper venting, improper cool down. Proper cool down - let the canner return to zero pressure naturally. Wait 2 min, then open the vent. Take off the lid and let the jars sit in the canner 10 additional minutes to adjust to the lower temp before removing them from the canner. Anything ringing any bells here that you could have done differently? The seals may have failed because in the act of some of your product siphoning out of the jars, a bit of tomato could have become stuck under the seal, causing it to not form a vacuum.
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Lawrence, The skins will come off in the processing, break into pieces, and roll themselves into, as Dave says, little "red twigs." Teeny little things, like the size of an apple stem, say. I find they are not chewy or tough, but can get caught in one's teeth. I have canned tomatoes this way and eaten the results and it was fine, but I've decided I much prefer the results without the skins. The easy solution, as suggested above, is to can SAUCE rather than whole tomatoes; just throw 'em in the pot whole (cut out any bad bits, but you can leave the cores in), and when they're cooked down, run them through a food mill or sieve. The skins, cores, and some seeds will be kept behind and you'll have a lovely sauce. I do this when I'm in a hurry, when I have a zillion pounds of tomatoes harvested that day, or when a lot of the toms are small and a pain to peel! THen I can a smaller amount of whole tomatoes or crushed tomatoes, which I peel first, when I have a smaller quantity of larger toms. That way I've got some of each to use for whatever I need later --- MOST of my canned-tomato needs are for sauce, but I like having some with actual tomatoes on hand. Hope this helps! Happy canning. Let us know how it goes. Zabby
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There are sometimes apparent inconsistencies in the BCBofHP because while the recipes all have been developed within the Jarden Corp. "family" the sources are slightly different. However, anything in that book or the BBB will still have been tested for safety so you have nothing to worry about in that regard. I do think that sometimes Ball falls down on the job in terms of clarity. Their staff "knows" these things and it's easy to forget that not everyone finds what they've written equally clear. Most jams and jellies (with a very few oddball exceptions like bananas, melons, figs, mangoes and "hot" jellies like pepper) are high-acid. They may call for lemon juice to improve the set or to highlight the flavor, but there aren't the safety issues there are with say, a salsa, which contains low-acid ingredients. So any lemon juice can be used and doesn't have to be bottled. I do agree that Ball needs to be more specific about those recipes where bottled lemon or lime juice is called for. In future if there's a particular recipe you're wondering about, just post the question. Lots of members have both those books and can answer. Carol
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ksrogers
16 years ago
Apparently the person who deemed the blend is unsafe is not knowledgable enough to know that the blend that is equal in acidity to citric. Not only does it affect sourness, it also effects the total acidity in the same way as citric does. Even for that, the acid blend or citric is added as a SAFEGUARD to insure that the tomatoes have enouch acid, no matter if it is the natural acid within most tomatoes, or an added one in the form of a dry crystal granular or a liquid such as citric. A pH meter is a good way to know if there is sufficient acid, and that same pH meter was used to measure the acidity of citric alone, as well as the acid blend. I don't have lab results, but the people who use the blend do have that info, as its used to increase acidity in wine making and is added to the juices before they are made into wines.
readinglady
16 years ago
Ken, if you can source specific lab/pH info, that might take care of the problem. I think Dr. Andress' point was that they had not verified the strength of the acid blend and therefore could not recommend its use.

Carol

Tomato canning question

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readinglady

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