Thursday, September 17, 2009

CANNING TOMATOES

I called the extension for office for advice about canning tomatoes. A steam canner is not recommended. WHAT? That's how I did it last year. Rats.

So we took the pressure cooker to The Mending Shed to be checked and had to buy a new gauge. Rats, again.


Then all afternoon I chopped tomatoes, filled bottles, added lemon juice--and WHY should I have to add lemon juice if I'm pressure canning the tomatoes?! It makes no sense to me. WOULD SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN THIS TO ME? You don't add lemon juice to beans, for crying out loud! It's enough to hark a dog.

And when I took them out of the canner you know what? It looks like out of my first batch of seven, four aren't going to seal! Rats. I followed the instructions to the letter, putting them on a rack to cool.
The second batch of seven I turned upside down like I always do. We'll see what they do about sealing.
I'm totally bummed. I want to do four dozen quarts of tomatoes. (I did three dozen last year, and we've used almost all of them.) But, if four jars of every seven aren't going to seal then what's the use?

This is me, being totally bummed. Not a pretty sight.
I'm throwing a "Rats" in there for good measure. And he's a lot better looking than my bummer face or the tomatoes. I should have just started with rats to begin with.

Maybe he'd eat the spiders we are finding in the house. The cats certainly aren't any help. What a bummer.

15 comments:

whirligigdaisy said...

Oh Lynne. A for Effort.

Lorraine said...

I know nothing of your world of cooking, but I think you're pretty. The rat is pretty too lol
is that as bad thing to say? lol ;)

Annette said...

I shouldn't be laughing at your troubles, but you make it so funny, and I can relate so well, that I can't help it. I think that's why I gave up on canning tomatoes a few years ago.

Me said...

Lemon juice...hmmm...interesting. I can only think it does something to change the balance of the acids? Maybe it acts as a preservative?

I've tried my hand at canning, and I haven't gotten it down well either. I did pickles last time and like yours, a good portion didn't seal. I was very, very bummed.

Shan said...

You make me giggle. Plus, also, I do love your smiley face better than your bummer face. The end.

Jessica said...

Hark a dog? I don't know one speck about that. Or canning, for that matter. And my tomatoes didn't grow. So it sounds like I may have bigger rats than you.

Hillary said...

Are your spiders hugie like ours? We have turansulas (sp?) and overgrown mutant spiders that are as big as your head. I'm not even joking.

I'm sorry about your tomatos. I just freeze mine. And do it as soon as they are picked as to not tempt the fruit flys.

Shantel said...

We always steamed ours. We never had any problems. But I know it is contreversial. Hark a Dog?? I am stealing that one. I have not laughed that hard since Barking Spider.

HegstromPrattFamily said...

OK. I haven't canned anything in over a decade, but I'm going stick in my two cents and say that you're just talking tomatoes. You could heat the bottles up again to see if they'll seal a second time around. I have done this before and it works sometimes. What could happen to the tomatoes in the process? It seems like they would just get a little more cooked, right? I've also picked my tomatoes green and let them sit with vines attached until they ripen after weeks and used them fresh.

Unknown said...

Great shots. What ISO were you using? The DoF in the third shot is super with great detail in the highlights. What was the shutter speed and what f stop were you using?

Unknown said...

I forgot to ask, do you shoot in RAW or JPG? I don't mean in the raw but rather RAW images.

Sharon said...

Came across this and had to laugh. I know it is NOT funny. It is depressing when things don't ping like they are supposed to. But I still had to smile at your RATS. I'da thunk it deserved a double rats!!

As far as why the lemon juice? It is to acidify the tomatoes in the water bath.

When you are pressure canning?..... I don't get it either. But it IS what is recommended.

Colette Amelia said...

you are such a wonder! I am just washing the tomatoes and throwing them in a freezer bag and freezing them...still got beets coming out the ying yang that were supposed to already be pickled...

Zing said...

Interesting stuff, nice shots of the tomatoes!

Unknown said...

this really tickled my fancy! Did you get more successful? I am sure you did. Are you guys having to eat lots of spaghetti sauce??