Tomato Harvest Yields 16 Pints

Faced with an overabundance of ripening tomatoes, I decided to try my hand at canning. Marita and Carl volunteered to help (and share in the finished product.) We spent Sunday afternoon peeling, dicing, and working up steamy conditions in the kitchen.

We picked tomotoes over the span of a few weeks, keeping them in the garage fridge until canning day. It turned out to be quite a haul!

We decided to use pint jars since we're generally cooking for two. 

I had everything set up for my helpers:  cutting board, strainer, and bowl to catch the juice. 

Carl let me borrow his canning kettle, and I used a big pot to quickly blanch the tomatoes to help pop the skins. 

 Scoring the bottoms, quickly dunking in boiling water then in ice water gets the skin ready to peel.

Mom and Dad, hard at work.  

The tomatoes were peeled and cut in half (or quarters). The juice was saved, too, and canned for use in soup.  

 10 pints at a time were placed in the hot water bath for 40 minutes. 

Ta Da!

Our first canning session was deemed a success!

And, of course, I had to make a special tag. How else can we identify what's in the jar? I am looking forward to having a taste of noTTafarm tomatoes this winter. It will keep us dreaming about the possibilities of our 2017 garden.

Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!