Crushed Tomatoes From Ball, per quart jar What you will need 2 ¾ lbs. tomatoes per quart jar ½ tsp citric acid per quart jar 1 tsp salt per quart jar Quart Jars Prepare your boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water, to keep hot. Wash tomatoes, cut X on bottom and place in boiling water for 1 minute. Remove and add to ice bath until you can touch them. Remove skin. Cut tomatoes into quarters to measure about 2 cups. Transfer to a large pot and heat over medium-high heat. Use a potato masher to crush tomatoes to release juices. Add additional tomatoes, but do not mash. They will soften with heating and stirring. Add ½ tsp citric acid to the bottom of the quart jar, pack hot tomatoes into hot jars and leave ½ inch headspace at the top. Press the tomatoes into the jar so the spaces are filled with juice. Add 1 tsp salt to each jar. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight. Place jar in boiling water canner. Repeat until all jars are filled. Process jars for 45 minutes for quarts, 35 for pints. Remove jars to countertop to cool. Leave untouched for 24 hours. Lids should be sealed.
Tomato Paste Makes 20 to 24 ounces 10 lbs. tomatoes* 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tsp salt for pickling and preserving ½ tsp citric acid Preheat the oven to 350. Chop tomatoes into quarters. Simmer the tomatoes with the olive oil. Combine the chopped tomatoes and olive oil in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Cook until the tomatoes are soft and the peels begin to detach from the tomato flesh. Pass the tomatoes through a food mill. Push the warm tomatoes through a food mill, or fine mesh strainer to separate the tomato pulp from the seeds and skins. Stir the salt and citric acid into the pulp. Discard or compost the seeds and skins. Divide the tomato pulp between two large rimmed baking sheets. You can also use a large roasting pan, but it will take longer to cook down that way. Bake the tomato pulp until reduced to a paste: Place the baking sheets in the oven. Check the tomatoes every half hour, stirring the paste and switching the position of the baking sheets so that they reduce evenly. Over time, the paste will start to reduce to the point where it doesn t fill the baking sheet any more. At this point, combine the contents of the two pans and continue to bake. The paste is done when shiny and brick-colored, and it has reduced by more than half (3 to 4 hours). There shouldn t be any remaining water or moisture separating from the paste at this point. This will take 3 to 4 hours, though exact baking times will depend on the juiciness of your tomatoes. Divide finished paste into 4-ounce jars, leaving 3/4 inch headspace. Preserving Option 1 Process the tomato paste in a hot water bath: Apply lids and rings and process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
Preserving Option 2 Refrigerate or Freeze: If you don t want to process the paste, you can refrigerate or freeze it instead. Scrape finished paste into clean half or quarter pint jars. Top each jar with a layer of olive oil and place in either the refrigerator or the freezer. As long as you keep it well-covered with olive oil and ensure that you only use a very clean spoon to remove it from the jar, it will keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 weeks. Frozen, it will keep for up to nine months. *Use paste tomatoes, like Romas and San Marzanos, for the greatest yield. Juicy heirloom tomatoes can also be used, but will have a smaller yield. Tip: Use a wide pan. Choose a wide, shallow pan to cook the sauce. The more surface area, the more quickly the sauce will cook down. http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-tomato-paste-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-206853 Green Tomato Relish 20 small to med size green yomatoes, cored 3-4 medium yellow onions 1 tbsp+ 2 tsp yellow mustard seed 1 tbsp celery seed 2 cups apple cider vinegar 1 cup regular granulated sugar 1 tbsp+ 2 tsp kosher salt Chop the tomatoes into chunks. Add the chopped tomatoes to a large pot and add the mustard seed, celery seed, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Stir well and bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring often and skimming any foam as needed. Simmer until the relish cooks down and thickens into a relish, about 2 hours. Fill mixture into hot sterilized pint size jars and process in a hot water bath.
Process 10 minutes for pint size jars. Remove jars and place on a counter with a towel. Let jars cool for 24 hours until the lids have popped and sealed. Green Tomatoes for Frying Green tomatoes, sliced in ½ slices ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp citric acid Filtered water Add filtered water to tea kettle, heat until just boiling. Add ¼ tsp citric acid to the bottom of a hot pint jar. Add in green tomato slices. Leave ½ headspace. Add salt on top and pour hot water until covered. Wipe rim, center lid, and adjust band. Process 10 minutes, remove from canner, let stand on countertop for 24 hours to seal. When ready to fry, remove from jars, pat dry, and use! Salsa Yields 1 pint 4-5 tomatoes, diced 1 onion, diced
1 chopped Serrano pepper (milder) or Jalapeno (more spicy) (optional) ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro (or more to taste) Juice from 1 lime 3 garlic cloves 2 ½ tsp Salsa Blend Mix (recipe below) ½ tsp salt for pickling and preserving ½ tsp ground black pepper Pinch sugar Add water to pot, bring to a boil. Cut the core out of the tomatoes or cut an X on the bottom of each tomato. Have ice bath ready. Place tomatoes in boiling water for 1 minute, remove, and place in ice bath. Once cool enough to handle, remove skin from tomatoes. Add your onion, pepper, cilantro, lime juice, and garlic cloves to a food processor, process a few times. Add tomatoes, salsa blend mix, salt, pepper, and sugar. Pulse a few times for chunky salsa, more for a smoother salsa. Prepare hot water canner. Taste salsa and adjust if needed. Ladle salsa into hot jars. Process in boiling water for 15 minutes. Remove jars to countertop. Let stand 24 hours untouched to seal. Or, you can eat immediately. Salsa Spice Blend Yields 6 pints 6 tsp chili powder 2 tsp cumin 2 tsp Mexican oregano 2 tsp garlic 2 tsp ground coriander 1 ½ tsp salt Use 2 ½ tsp Spice Blend per pint
Italian Spice Blend Yields 6 pints 4 tsp dried basil 2 ½ tsp oregano 2 tsp thyme 1 ½ tsp rosemary 1 ½ tsp sage 1 tsp garlic ½ tsp chili flakes Use 2 ¼ tsp spice blend per pint Diced Tomatoes in own Juice From Ball; yields 3 quart jars 10 ½ lbs. tomatoes 1 ½ tsp Citric Acid 3 tsp salt ¾ tsp sugar Wash tomatoes and cut X on bottom. Bring a pot of water to a boil and have ice bath ready. Add tomatoes to boiling water for 1 minute, remove to ice bath. Once cool enough to touch, remove skin. Dice into desired sizes. Add ½ tsp citric acid to the bottom of every hot quart jar. Pack tomatoes into jar, gently press down to fill spaces with juice from tomatoes.
Add 1 tsp salt and ¼ tsp sugar to the jar. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 1 hour and 25 minutes. Remove jars and place on a counter with a towel. Let jars cool for 24 hours until the lids have popped and sealed. Cucumbers Tips Pickling cucumbers make the best whole, spear, or sliced pickles. They are highly perishable, so be prepared to use them the same day they are harvested or purchased. Store unused pickling cukes in the fridge for 1-2 days only! Do not use waxed cucumbers since the brine cannot penetrate the wax coating. Wash the cucumbers under cold running water; you can use a soft produce brush to remove soil that may be on it but don t scrub hard, that may cause bacteria to penetrate the peel. Make sure you are using pure salt. Flake, rock, Kosher, or sea salt may cause the pickles to darken or soften or cause the brine to become cloudy. Different forms of salt do not measure exactly the same as granulated salt. When preparing your veggies for pickling cut off the blossom end. It harbors microbes. Cut them into the same size so they pickle consistently. Soak the whole fresh cucumbers in ice water for about 4 to 5 hours before pickling; this will help keep them crisp. You can also use pickle crisp or grape leaves. ACV has a mellow acid flavor while white vinegar gives pickled foods a sharp acidic taste. Since ACV may discolor produce, use white vinegar when color retention is important. The vinegar you use should have 5% acid for pickling. Vinegars from the store meet this requirement.
If your recipe calls for water with your vinegar, use soft or distilled water. Hard (tap) water will interfere with the pickling process. It will produce discoloration and offflavors. Salt draws moisture out of the veggies and helps with the production of good bacteria. Sweeteners, such as sugar, brown sugar, and honey are used most often when making sweet pickles. Spices are very important, good spices. If you have fresh herbs from the garden they can be used for visual interest but dried spices are where you are going to get your full flavor. Popular pickling spices include allspice, bay leaf, black pepper, cardamom, celery seed, chili peppers, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, dill, fennel, garlic, ginger, juniper, mustard seed, and nutmeg. In general, whole spices are preferred to powder because powdered spices could make it look sludgy. What Is Pickling Salt? Pickling salt sometimes called canning salt or preserving salt is pure granulated salt (sodium chloride). Pickling salt does not contain anti-caking ingredients, which can turn pickling liquid cloudy, or additives like iodine, which can make pickles dark. In addition, pickling salt has fine granules that make it easy to dissolve in a brine. Do You Really Need Pickling Salt for Pickling? While pickling salt is ideal for pickling, because it has fine granules (finer than even table salt) and no additives, it is not the only salt that can be used. Kosher salt is a great alternative, as long as it is pure salt without any additives. Pure sea salt can also be used in pickling. Although table salt is perfectly safe to use in pickling, it is not recommended because the quality of pickles may suffer due to its additives. Heather s Pickling Spice 3 tbsp dill seeds 2 tbsp mustard seeds 2 tbsp peppercorns 2 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tbsp allspice berries 2 or 3 bay leaves crushed up 1 tsp red pepper flakes (If you don t want it spicy leave this out) Fridge Pickles Pickling cucumbers 1 quart water 2 cups white vinegar 2 tbsp canning salt A few springs of dill (loosely about a cup, un-chopped) 4 cloves garlic, smashed 3 tbsp pickling spice (recipe below) Take the water, vinegar, and salt and boil it until the salt dissolves. Place 3 tbsp pickling spice in the bottom of your jar. Add in the garlic and dill. Cut your cucumbers however you like. Spears, coins, etc. and fill your jar with them. Cover your cucumbers with the brine. Run a chopstick or kabob stick around the inside of the jar to remove any air bubbles. Once everything is covered, place in your refrigerator for a few weeks to let flavors develop. To process to be shelf stable: Process quart jars for 15 minutes, turn off heat, remove lid to canner, let stand 5 minutes and remove. Easy Pickled Onions 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced or shaved
½ cup apple cider vinegar 1 cup water ½ tsp sugar 1 ½ tsp pickling salt Combine vinegar, water, sugar, and salt in a medium sauce and boil until sugar and salt. Place your onions in a jar and pour your vinegar mixture over the onions and let sit at room temperature for an hour. Place in fridge for 1 day. They will last a couple of weeks if stored in the refrigerator. Picked Grape Tomatoes 1 pint grape tomatoes 1 tsp pickling salt ½ tsp sugar ¼ cup white wine vinegar ¼ cup white vinegar 1 cup water 4 cloves garlic 1 sprig fresh rosemary Prick each tomato with a toothpick so they don t split open and the seasonings can go throughout. Warm salt, sugar, vinegars, and water together until the salt and sugar dissolve. Place tomatoes in jar or container with garlic and rosemary and cover. Place in fridge for 1 day for flavors to combine.
Pickled Okra 3 ½ lbs. small okra pods (more tender) 1/3 cup pickling salt 3 cups water 3 cups white vinegar 3 cloves garlic (per jar) 3 tbsp pickling spice (per jar) Trim the stems of the okra, be careful not cut open the pods. Combine salt, water, and vinegar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, turn off and let sit for 5 minutes. Fill your jars with your pickling spice, garlic, and okra. Stand the okra up, they pickle better that way. Ladle your vinegar solution over the okra. *If hot water canning, leave ½ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Clean jar rim. Add to hot water canner. Process pint jars for 15 minutes with lid. Remove from canner and place on counter. Let stand for 24 hours. Check seals, if they didn t seal put in fridge and eat after a week. *If wanting to make fridge pickled okra place in fridge after you get them packed. Wait 1 week, taste. If they are where you want them eat. If not, wait 1 more week.