Putting up Tomatoes for the Winter

Posted on September 3rd, 2012 by Tonia 2 Comments

We’re drowning in ‘maters over here! Aren’t they beautiful to behold? Warm little spheres of juice. I’d tell them how great they are, but it would go to their heads. They’re already smug enough as it is.

When tomatoes are ready, they need to be dealt with RIGHT NOW. They’re kind of the diva of the garden. Say, for example, that you wanted to perhaps go to the beach today because it’s Labor Day and it’s 85 degrees and sunny and all your friends are there grilling out and drinking beer. Logical thing to do on a day like this, right?

Nope. You’ve got 900 ripe tomatoes to process, you fool! And they ain’t gonna wait around while you frolic about in your bathing-suit. They’ll go right ahead and rot, right under your nose, if you’re just a tiny bit too slow about picking them.

So I am in my hot kitchen. Processing tomatoes. And even though I’m slightly crabby about it, I’m going to be really happy to have all these jars of delicious sauces, soups and whole tomatoes in the middle of winter.

I’ve been loosely following this excellent blog post that details the canning process for tomatoes except that I’ve been roasting my tomatoes instead of blanching them. How do you can tomatoes? Any favorite tricks or tips?

Happy Labor Day, dear readers!

2 Comments

  1. Cathy Schroeder says:

    Looks good TOnia, I’ve been following the blog: Food in Jars. Check it out. XXOO

  2. bb says:

    Courtney will be pleased to know this is how you spent her golden birthday! The Bangs were here with a ripe basket of wonderful garden tomato bounty and we were just discussing what is the best way to process them for winter storage. Yours jars look great. You have a great harvest to enjoy during the long winter so your efforts will be appreciated at the table while the snow is flying. Nice work!

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