7/13/2019 – The pile of tomatoes from the garden has gotten large and this first canning is to prepare four quarts. In researching how to can them several places said the pressure cooker makes a better final product. 5/8/2020 – Opened the 2nd jar and, like the 1st jar a few weeks ago, it has a great tomato flavor and aroma. Better than any canned tomatoes from the store. We will put away a lot more in 2020.

We followed the USDA recommended recipe for raw pack tomatoes with no liquid added. Our garden tomatoes this year are all “slicers” so there is a lot of liquid.

TOMATOES—WHOLE OR HALVED (packed raw without added liquid) … Procedure: Wash tomatoes. Dip in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds or until skins split, then dip in cold water. Slip off skins and remove cores. Leave whole or halve. Add bottled lemon juice or citric acid to the jars. Fill hot jars with raw tomatoes, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Press tomatoes in the jars until spaces between them fill with juice. Leave 1/2-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if needed. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened clean paper towel. Adjust lids and process.

USDA Publication, pages 25 & 26

This was also our first time to use the new American Pressure Canner.

• About 25 tomatoes skinned and then cleaned of splits and bad places.
• 1 tsp of citric acid powder
• Processed in the pressure canner for 25 minutes at 10 PSI per the USDA.