Preserve your Tomatoes

While it is true that canned tomatoes contain much of the goodness of fresh tomatoes, why settle for canned tomatoes when you can preserve your own in times of plenty?

Both fresh and canned tomatoes are an excellent source of Vitamin A and Vitamin C and they are low in calories. They contain lycopene, an anti-oxidant that will help to lower the risk of prostate cancer and heart disease. The canning process involves “cooking” tomatoes (as does the bottling process you would follow at home) which remarkably, increases the amount of lycopene in the tomatoes. This is because the cooking process results in the cells in the tomatoes releasing the chemical, which in turn makes it easier for us to absorb it into our systems.

How to Preserve Your Homegrown Tomatoes

Tomatoes may be preserved by canning, by drying, pickling or freezing them.

The Origin of Canning and Bottling Tomatoes

Canning has been used for food preservation since 1809. A Frenchman, Nicolas Appert invented the process and won a prize of 12,000 francs, given to him by the French Emperor Napoleon himself, for finding a way to preserve food for soldiers who were constantly on the move.

Appert’s methods are very similar to those used today, although he didn’t realized how bacteria could destroy food. He used glass jars that were heated and then sealed with corks.

Then an Englishman, Peter Durand came up with the idea of metal tea canisters (cans), although he didn’t perfect the method.

Why Tomatoes Can be Bottled Successfully

Like most fruits, tomatoes are high in acid, which inhibits the growth of bacteria and prevents toxins from forming.

How to Bottle Tomatoes

There are various processes that may be followed, either on top of the stove or in the oven. You can heat the tomatoes in a:

• Slow water-bath, where the bottles are packed, filled up with brine and then placed in a deep container filled with water that comes to the boil slowly and then simmers for quite a long time.
• Quick water-bath that is similar to the previous process, but a lot quicker.
• Pressure-cooking, which is a quick, easy and reliable method.
• Moderate oven set to about 150 deg C/300 deg F.

..The slow oven method, when it is set to about 120 deg C/250 deg F, is not suitable for solid pack tomatoes; they will go brown.

Canning tomatoes requires sophisticated machinery and is not recommended for home preserving.

Whether you can or bottle tomatoes, it is recommended that you add acid to them. Even though tomatoes often have quite high acid levels, if there isn’t enough bacteria may result in botulism, which can be deadly.

Freezing Tomatoes to Preserve Them

Whole tomatoes may be successfully frozen whole for cooking, or you can make a puree from the tomatoes and then freeze the puree. If you freeze them whole, freeze them individually in plastic, and then pack them once frozen.

Preserving home-grown tomatoes is a great way to enjoy them. Pick up a copy of How To Grow Juicy Tasty Tomatoes and get growing!