Home-Canned Crushed Tomatoes

Home-canned crushed tomatoes are a pantry staple. (Mary Bryant Shrader)

As you are working through this recipe, I am here to help with a full-length step-by-step video on my Mary’s Nest YouTube Channel.

Home-Canned Crushed Tomatoes

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 5 minutes Canning Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Makes 5 pint jars full

• 8 to 9 pounds tomatoes (you will want to have a total of 12 cups of chopped tomatoes)
• 6 tablespoons bottled lemon juice (must be bottled lemon juice; do not use fresh lemon juice)

Equipment

• 6 pint-sized wide-mouth canning jars (it’s always best to have 1 extra jar on hand)
• 6 wide-mouth canning lids (must be new lids)
• 6 wide-mouth canning bands (rings)
• Canning jar lifter
• Debubbler or flat-edged knife

Prepare your canner, jars, and lids. Fill a large stockpot or stovetop canner 3/4 full with water. If you are using a stockpot, place a rack on the bottom of the pot. If you are using a stovetop canner, the rack should already be in the pot. (Note: If you are using a stovetop canner, check with your manufacturer to make sure that the canner you are using is compatible with your stovetop. For example, you must use a flat-bottom canner on a glass-top stove.

Place the lid on the canner and bring the water to a boil, then turn the heat down to low. Remove the lid, and, using a jar lifter, place the 6 jars on the rack in the canner and replace the lid. (The corresponding video may be helpful.)

Wash the canning lids and bands (rings) in warm soapy water, rinse well, and set aside on a clean dish towel.

Now begin to prepare the tomatoes. Place a large stainless steel or enabled cast iron pot on the stove. You will be cooking the chopped tomatoes in the pot. Do not use an aluminum pot, as it will react with the acid in the tomatoes and create an off flavor.

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Next, place a small stockpot on the stove filled to 3/4 full and bring water up to a soft boil (a high simmer).

Next, fill a large bowl 3/4 full with ice water.

Working in batches, put 4 to 6 tomatoes at a time into the stockpot with the soft, boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds until the skins split.

Remove the tomatoes using a strainer and plunge the tomatoes into the ice water bath. Leave the tomatoes in the ice water bath for approximately 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, remove the tomatoes and slip off the skins.

Working with one tomato at a time, remove the stem end of the tomato. If you want, you can remove the entire core of the tomato as well. Once the stem end is removed, chop the tomato and transfer the chopped pieces into the large pot on the stove. Turn on the heat to low and allow the tomatoes to simmer while you continue to work through preparing all the tomatoes and transferring them to the pot.

Once all the chopped tomatoes are in the pot, bring the tomatoes up to a boil and remain boiling for 5 minutes, stirring and crushing the tomatoes. After 5 minutes, turn off the heat, remove the pot from the stove, and place the pot on a heatproof surface close to the canner.

Working with one jar at a time, remove the first jar from your canner and drain the water from the jar. Check the jar for nicks using a clean paper towel dipped in vinegar. If the jar is nicked, discard it and place a replacement jar into the hot water in the canner. Next, fill the jar with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and then place a funnel over the jar and ladle in the crushed tomatoes up to a 1/2-inch headspace. Remove any bubbles or air pockets from the filled jar using a debubbler device or another similar tool, such as a knife. Check again for proper headspace and add additional tomatoes if needed. Next, take a clean paper towel dipped in vinegar and run it over the rim of the jar to make sure it is clean.

Place a lid on the jar, put a band (ring) on the jar, and then tighten the band (ring) to “finger-tip-tight,” meaning just until you meet gentle resistance. Once you meet gentle resistance, give the band (ring) one more gentle turn; this will most likely be no more than 1/4 inch. The band (ring) is used only to keep the jar lid in place and should not be completely tight. You want air to be able to escape from the lid during the water bath processing. Using a jar lifter, lift the jar and place it down into your canner onto the submerged rack. The jar should be covered with 1 to 2 inches of water.

Boil pint-sized jars for 35 minutes. (If you use quart-sized jars, they will need to be boiled for 45 minutes.) Do not begin timing the 35 minutes until the water comes to a boil.

Turn off the heat and carefully remove the lid of the canner. Allow the jars to rest in the canner for 5 minutes. Remove the jars using a jar lifter and place the jars on a cushioned surface, such as a counter that’s lined with a thick dish towel.

Allow the jars to cool for 24 hours. Next, remove the rings and check that the lids are sealed tightly to the jars. Store the jars in your pantry based on the manufacturer’s suggestions. (Most Ball brand lids guarantee that food canned using their lids will stay shelf-stable for 18 months.)