Canning Whole Tomatoes

three jars of whole peeled tomatoes with fresh tomatoes and herbs on a wooden board

5 from 13 ratings

A step-by-step tutorial on canning whole tomatoes. This easy-to-follow process is perfect for beginners and covers preserving whole tomatoes in both water bath and pressure canning methods.

Prep Time45

Cook Time15

Total Time1

Course: Canning

Cuisine: American

Keyword: canning whole tomatoes, how to can tomatoes, how to can whole tomatoes

Servings: quarts

Author: Sarah Cook

Equipment

Ingredients

21 lbs tomatoes
14 tbsp bottled lemon juice (2 tbsp per quart)

Instructions

How to Pressure Can Whole Tomatoes

Rinse your tomatoes. It is best to use a low-moisture tomato like romas.
21 lbs tomatoes
Using a paring knife, remove the stem/core from the tomatoes. Place in a large bowl. I like to core about 75% of them at all once.
Wash and sanitize your jars. You’ll want to keep them warm to avoid having them crack when placed in the canner. You can fill them with hot water, or place them on a tray in the oven at 170˚F.
Wash your lids with hot soapy water and place them in a clean bowl for now.
Fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to a boil.
Prepare a large bowl with ice water. Set aside.
Add the tomatoes to a pot of boiling water and parboil them until you see the skins start to come off the tomatoes (about 1-2 minutes).
Use a slotted spoon and remove the tomatoes and place in the ice water.
Working with the tomatoes one at a time, remove any skin that hasn’t already slipped off.
Once they are peeled you can slice the tomatoes in half (to remove all the seeds) or leave them whole.
If you are hot packing your tomatoes add them to a pot of boiling water and let them cook for 5 minutes.
Add 3 quarts of water to your pressure canner and put it on a burner set to high. Make sure there is a canning rack in the bottom of the canner.
Add lemon juice or citric acid to your canning jars.
Quarts: 2 tbsp lemon juice OR 1/2 tsp citric acid. Salt (optional) 1 tsp
Pints: 1 tbsp lemon juice OR 1/4 tsp citric acid. Salt (optional) 1/2 tsp
14 tbsp bottled lemon juice
Using a canning funnel, ladle hot tomatoes in the jars. Cover tomatoes with clean boiling water.
Leave 1/2 inch headspace. Headspace is the distance between the top of the food and the top of the jar.
Using a long utensil (I prefer a plastic chopstick), remove all the air bubbles from the jar.
Clean the rim of the jar very well with a hot damp rag.
Place a clean new lid on the jar. Add a ring, and tighten to fingertip tight.
Using canning tongs, gently place the jars in the canner.
Lock the lid. Soon, steam will start coming through the vent pipe. Allow the steam to pass through for about 10 minutes. Then put the pressure regulator on top.
Pretty soon, the air vent will pop up.
In a dial-gauge pressure canner, process pints and quarts based on the elevation guide below:
*0-2,000f ft {PSI: 6 lbs of pressure} = Pints & Quarts 15 min
*0-2,000f ft {PSI: 11 lbs of pressure} = Pints & Quarts 10 min
*2,001-4,000k ft {PSI: 7 lbs of pressure} = Pints & Quarts 15 min
*2,001-4,000k ft {PSI: 12 lbs of pressure} = Pints & Quarts 10 min
*4,001-6,000k ft {PSI: 8 lbs of pressure} = Pints & Quarts 15 min
*4,001-6,000k ft {PSI: 13 lbs of pressure} = Pints & Quarts 10 min
*6,001-8,000k {PSI: 9 lbs of pressure} = Pints & Quarts 15 min
*6,001-8,000k {PSI: 14 lbs of pressure} = Pints & Quarts 10 min

Water Bath Canning Instructions

Prepare your water bath canner by filling it with water. You just need to have enough water to cover the jars by 1 inch once the water is boiling.
Set the canner fitted with the lid on the stove. Turn the burner to high. Once it reaches a boil, reduce it to simmer. You want to keep the water hot so that everything is ready when the tomatoes are.
Follow steps 1-18 above in the Pressure Canning Instructions.
Return the water in the canner to a rolling boil.
Using canning tongs, carefully lower the jars into the boiling water and place the lid on and set your timer. The water must return to a full rolling boil before you start your timer.
Process pints and quarts based on the elevation guide below:
*0-1,000 ft – Pints =40 min Quarts =45 min
*1,001-3,000 ft – Pints =45 min Quarts =50 min
*3,001-6,000 ft – Pints =50 min Quarts =55 min
*6,000 ft+ – Pints =55 min Quarts =60 min
When the time is up, remove the canner from the burner and let the jars sit for 5 minutes in the canner and then lift them out with canning tongs.
Place on a towel where they can sit undisturbed for 12 hours.

Notes

22 lbs tomatoes per 7 quarts, or 14 lbs tomatoes per 9 pints. About 3 lbs tomatoes per quart.
Once the jars have sealed, remove the rings. Label and store sealed jars in a cool (best results are 50-70˚F) dark place for up to 12-18 months.

Nutrition