Water Bath Canning Tomatoes Question

[so lucky]

I don't want to get too nit-picky here, but: Does it make a difference if you are canning tomatoes or juice from the old open pollinated varities? I would think they have more acid than some of the new hybrids. Not for giving advice to others, just for my own curiosity/satisfaction. Of course it is worth the extra step to make sure you don't poison the family!

 

[moolie]

I don't want to get too nit-picky here, but: Does it make a difference if you are canning tomatoes or juice from the old open pollinated varities? I would think they have more acid than some of the new hybrids. Not for giving advice to others, just for my own curiosity/satisfaction. Of course it is worth the extra step to make sure you don't poison the family!

Acidity depends on a lot of things and there's definitely no hard and fast rule that says that heirlooms are more acidic than hybrids. The simple fact is that tomatoes are borderline acidic at the best of times, and not quite acidic enough at the worst.

If you concentrate the tomato product, as for paste, you can be pretty sure that it's safe--but in all other cases add acid

 

[me&thegals]

I don't want to get too nit-picky here, but: Does it make a difference if you are canning tomatoes or juice from the old open pollinated varities? I would think they have more acid than some of the new hybrids. Not for giving advice to others, just for my own curiosity/satisfaction. Of course it is worth the extra step to make sure you don't poison the family!

I've read that newer tomato hybrids have been bred to have lower acidity. I add 1 T of lemon juice to every quart, 1/2 that to every pint just to be safe.

 

[moolie]

Current canning recommendations state 2 Tbsp per quart/litre, 1 Tbsp per pint/500ml jar. So you might be going a little light there at half-strength.

 

[k15n1]

It's not just the seal that is important here. The processing time is to destroy any bacteria that may be present in the product that you are canning. When it comes to home canned products do not cut corners. Process for the exact time and use the proper method. You already have done the work to get the product into those jars and when you open them up you can rest assured that your beautiful home canned tomatoes are safe to eat.

Right. Getting lids to click is relatively easy. It's sterilizing the inside that determines the duration of the processing time.

 

[Hinotori]

I don't want to get too nit-picky here, but: Does it make a difference if you are canning tomatoes or juice from the old open pollinated varities? I would think they have more acid than some of the new hybrids. Not for giving advice to others, just for my own curiosity/satisfaction. Of course it is worth the extra step to make sure you don't poison the family!

I'd read somewhere that over the time people have been canning, tomatoes have been the biggest offender for poisonings. Really wish I could remember where it was I saw that.

My sister-in-law canned tomatoes for the first time last year. My brother refused to eat any of it from the get go because he didn't think she did it right and asked mom who wasn't sure so I got a call. She made just regular sauce and I guess it got late at night so she left it out overnight and just heated to boil before putting it in jars and processing it 10 minutes in a water bath (she put vinegar in the water bath water because that's where it went she thought). I guess I had a lot of horror in my voice when I talked to mom cause whatever she told my brother there was a big fight over those. No one has eaten them which I think is best.

 

[Tiffany]

I canned tomatoes in their own juice this past Sunday. I messed up and read the time for tomatoes packed in water, so I only processed them for 40 minutes instead of 85. I left that night to go on vacation, and just returned today. Is it too late to reprocess? If it's not too late, where do I start? Do I need to start over with a new lid and ring since they are already sealed?

 

[Boogity]

Tiffany, I would throw all of it onto the compose pile. 7 days is a long time for billions of bacteria to grow in those half cooked tomatoes. Were the jars stored at room temperature? I doubt that you had them in the 'frige. I little pile of tomatoes is not worth a trip to the hospital.

 

[Tiffany]

Yes, they were stored at room temperature. Thanks. That's what I thought. I just wanted to make sure before I threw them out. I actually found a website where the lady said 40 or 45 minutes, but that was the only place I found. Everything else was the same as my book that said 85. Thanks again.