Canned Tomatoes
When I decided to get more into canning this year, I wanted to pick projects that would save me freezer space and create a product I actually use on a regular basis. Three items came to mind that fit this criteria: soup stock, beans, and tomatoes. I make and eat a lot of soup, especially for work lunches, and all three of these items are handy to have prepared and on-hand.
I was running out of time to make the tomato project happen, as it was getting late in the season and I hadn't sourced any tomatoes yet. My home-grown tomatoes were a total bust this year, and the window for farmer's market produce was starting to close. We did make it to the Millarville Market a couple weeks ago, though, and I left with two flats of tomatoes.
This was roughly 34lbs of tomatoes. This isn't a huge amount in the world of canning, but it did take me three sessions to get it done. I tried to split it up over a few days so it wouldn't seem overwhelming. I first prepped all the tomatoes (blanch, peel, core, dice) so that they were all ready to go in jars. Then I jarred and canned them.
The end result is roughly equivalent to 22 cans of tomatoes, if you assume that a pint of tomatoes is about the same as one can. At $30 for the tomatoes, that comes out to about $1.36 per "can".
Next year I will likely increase to 60lbs or so, since it's a useful item to have on hand, and kind of a once-a-year task. I did make it through my canning goals this year though, so I'm pretty happy about that!
Did you can this year? Leave a comment!
I was running out of time to make the tomato project happen, as it was getting late in the season and I hadn't sourced any tomatoes yet. My home-grown tomatoes were a total bust this year, and the window for farmer's market produce was starting to close. We did make it to the Millarville Market a couple weeks ago, though, and I left with two flats of tomatoes.
This was roughly 34lbs of tomatoes. This isn't a huge amount in the world of canning, but it did take me three sessions to get it done. I tried to split it up over a few days so it wouldn't seem overwhelming. I first prepped all the tomatoes (blanch, peel, core, dice) so that they were all ready to go in jars. Then I jarred and canned them.
The end result is roughly equivalent to 22 cans of tomatoes, if you assume that a pint of tomatoes is about the same as one can. At $30 for the tomatoes, that comes out to about $1.36 per "can".
Next year I will likely increase to 60lbs or so, since it's a useful item to have on hand, and kind of a once-a-year task. I did make it through my canning goals this year though, so I'm pretty happy about that!
Did you can this year? Leave a comment!
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