Harvest 2011 - Tomatoes, as in Canning

My annual 'canning of the tomatoes' is an indisputable signal that summer is near end - one of those bittersweet moments, for sure.  In fact, I think there was a bit of autumn in the air today.  I felt the edge.

Roma tomatoes - the only tomato to grow!

Glenn gathering tomatoes for canning

Canning tomatoes is an all day process for me, starting at 8:00 AM; with the thorough cleaning  of the kitchen (especially the work counters and stove), assembling all the canning supplies, gathering the ripe tomatoes from the garden - Glenn's usual job (Roma is by far the best tomato variety we use - a good all-purpose tomato - rich, firm, not watery - let's just say it is our only tomato of choice) , washing the tomatoes, and the  preparation of the tomatoes for the actual canning.

 I cut up and puree the entire tomato (pulp and skin minus the stem and blemishes - yes, more chicken food) in a food processor.  The puree is boiled for between one and two hours depending on the water content.  I want to reduce the amount of liquid in the puree.  As the tomatoes boil, tomato aroma permeates the entire house; even with many windows open.  The hot puree is ladled into glass canning jars, and  processed in a hot water bath for about 30 minutes.  The jars are removed from the hot water bath and placed on a protected surface to cool.  Loud pops can be heard as the lids seal to the jar tops - the number of pops should equal the number of jars withdrawn from the hot water.  I count seven - all lids are sealed.

The tomato-filled jars lined up on the counter always look so charming, and seem like a link to the past. My mind wanders to days gone by, those special summer days, the memory makers.

8:30 PM - the last batch of jars come out of the hot water bath - done!  Except for the extensive post clean-up, that is. My kitchen is a mess, but I need to put my feet up and rest.  My canning task started about 12 hours ago, and I finished with 20 quarts of tomatoes.  Are 20 quarts worth all that time and effort?...you betcha!

At the end of the day, those jars represent a lot of work; from seed to final product of canned tomatoes.  And, they represent a huge amount of satisfaction.  Best of all, they contain a whole lot of tomato flavor to savor throughout the fall, winter and spring - until fresh tomatoes are, again, available. In anticipation, the the jars of tomatoes are safely stored in a cool, dark area of the basement ready for our use.

Spaghetti sauce, taco soup, chili, beef stew....let's fetch a jar of our canned tomatoes!