Canning Tomatoe Juice

[jal_ut]

[img]https://donce.lofthouse.com/jamaica/two_tomato.jpg[/img]

Start with tomatoes. These are Celebrities. I admit they do not all look that good, but as a rule they have very few cracks and green shoulders.
Wash core and quarter the tomatoes and put them in the stock pot. Notice the big wooden spoon for stirring the pot.

[img]https://donce.lofthouse.com/jamaica/canning1.jpg[/img]

When the tomatoes are hot, use the Victorio strainer to separate the skins and seeds. The juice goes into another pot. I used the small pan on the right as a dipper to move the tomatoes from the pot to the Victorio.

[img]https://donce.lofthouse.com/jamaica/canning2.jpg[/img]

This picture shows the filled jars in the pressure canner. The jars were filled using the cup on the left of the stockpot. You can also see the jar lifter.

[img]https://donce.lofthouse.com/jamaica/canning3.jpg[/img]

Filling jars for the second cooker. I brought in another table for some work space.

[img]https://donce.lofthouse.com/jamaica/canning4.jpg[/img]

Cooking away.

[img]https://donce.lofthouse.com/jamaica/canning5.jpg[/img]

The finished product The hot bottles are placed on boards to cool.

[img]https://donce.lofthouse.com/jamaica/canning6.jpg[/img]

Just so I can keep track of things and make sure I don't mess up using two cookers, I make a chart on the white board and keep track of each move.

[img]https://donce.lofthouse.com/jamaica/chart.jpg[/img]

The acid notation refers to the citric acid that is put in the bottles to acidify the product. The vinegar is a little vinegar that keeps the hard water scale from collecting on the bottles. It goes in the water in the cooker, not in the bottles.

This post is not really a recipe, nor do I intend it to be a primer on home canning. I just thought that those of you who may be interested in getting into canning would like to see a pictorial of the process.

I will recommend reading the Ball Blue Book and the instructions sent with your pressure cooker for complete instructions. I also recommend always using an approved recipe and pay attention to the need to add time or pressure for higher altitudes. Your extension is a great resource for canning recipes and information for your area.