Canning Whole Tomatoes the Easy Way — Fresh For 12 Months Thanks To This Old Italian Tip!

A shelf of tomato jars is a lovely sight. My grandmother would have been pleased to see every bit of the summer harvest put to use. But she also taught me to pay attention to the work that went into each jar. A lid that stays down cannot tell you what happened before it went on. In this video, I’ll show you how to can whole or halved tomatoes using a tested method. We’ll start with firm, sound tomatoes, peel them, add acid to **every jar**, pack them in water, and use the processing directions for the jar size and our altitude. Here is the step I want you to remember: put the acid into the empty jar first. For a quart, that is **2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice or ½ teaspoon of citric acid**. For a pint, use **1 tablespoon of bottled lemon juice or ¼ teaspoon of citric acid**. Do it even when the tomatoes taste tart, and even if you use a pressure canner. After processing, let the jars cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours. Then check each seal, remove the rings, and store the sound jars somewhere cool and dark. Aim to use them within about a year for the best quality. Before opening one, check it again. If a jar has lost its seal or shows signs of spoilage, never taste it to decide whether it is good. Now tell me: where did your family keep its tomato jars? And did anyone add lemon juice, or was that a step you learned later? I like hearing what different kitchens taught us. Subscribe, and I’ll keep sharing the household methods that help us use what we grow and buy. #canning #tomatoes #canningtomatoes #foodpreservation #cucinapovera #italiankitchen #pantry