Canners: Question about tomato canning prep

[RoughCollie]

I want to pressure can a large batch of tomatoes (2 or 3 bushels) efficiently.

 

When it comes time to put all the tomatoes in the canning jars, can I do that -- all at once -- even though my pressure canner only holds 7 quarts?  Or should I fill and process them one 7-quart batch at a time?

 

I have googled this question extensively and can find no information on that subject.

 

Thanks for your help!

[MotherGoose]

I cook all mine together into the finished product I want to can, and I heat it to boiling, then fill 7 qts at a time. I let it cool down while the canning process is going on and until the canner cools enough to open, then heat it back up, along with the jars, lids, etc. you want everything to be boiling hot going into the canner.

[skimomma]

I do fill ahead but keep the waiting jars in a pot of hot water.  I'm not sure you are "supposed" to but I have for years with no issue.  The risk is not contamination (I don't think), it is more about a higher risk of busting a jar/lid, which I have never had happen....with tomatoes anyway....

[RoughCollie]

Thank you, MotherGoose and skimomma. I raw pack my seeded tomato halves and quarters in hot jars since they are going into a pressure canner with very hot or boiling water in it. 

 

I guess since they would be sitting out and the jars they'd be in would not be hot, I'd better not get too efficient with them!

 

I hot pack tomato sauce and spaghetti sauce, but keeping so many jars hot while they wait their turn would be a problem. My canner takes up a lot of room on the stove, and I'm canning about a one year supply of each, so that is a lot of jars to keep hot.

 

I have this fantasy that somehow I can streamline the process more, but I don't think I can do that without buying another fridge to store the prepped product in until it is all prepped and ready to be hot-packed. This year, I plan to can 8 bushels, but I may decide that's just too much. I ran out of home-canned tomatoes by spring this year and now I'm on a mission not to do that again!

 

Every year, I feel like I am drowning in tomatoes, but after this is over, for an entire year, I'm thankful I did it because the end result tastes so much better than what I can buy in the store.

 

Thanks for your advice!

 

[Melissa in Australia]

I usually blanch then peel the tomatoes and pack them in the jars whole.it works really well for me

[HRAAB]

I peel, pack jars, add salt (if desired) and lemon juice, and put in canner.  Repeat while others are processing.  If I'm making spaghetti sauce or cooking the tomatoes first, I do them all in my mammoth pot (or as many that will fit) and fill the jars from there.

[MotherGoose]

Thank you, MotherGoose and skimomma. I raw pack my seeded tomato halves and quarters in hot jars since they are going into a pressure canner with very hot or boiling water in it.

 

I guess since they would be sitting out and the jars they'd be in would not be hot, I'd better not get too efficient with them!

 

I hot pack tomato sauce and spaghetti sauce, but keeping so many jars hot while they wait their turn would be a problem. My canner takes up a lot of room on the stove, and I'm canning about a one year supply of each, so that is a lot of jars to keep hot.

 

I have this fantasy that somehow I can streamline the process more, but I don't think I can do that without buying another fridge to store the prepped product in until it is all prepped and ready to be hot-packed. This year, I plan to can 8 bushels, but I may decide that's just too much. I ran out of home-canned tomatoes by spring this year and now I'm on a mission not to do that again!

 

Every year, I feel like I am drowning in tomatoes, but after this is over, for an entire year, I'm thankful I did it because the end result tastes so much better than what I can buy in the store.

 

Thanks for your advice!

This will make the food safety folks cringe, but I've been known to boil prepped tomatoes hard once a day for several days and keep them at room temperature otherwise before canning. I figure botulism only grows in an air (free?) environment like inside a can, and the other things either boiling will kill, or you will KNOW that something is wrong. I also wash mine, cut off the bad rotted spots, then boil to loosen skin and soften. Then I run through a food mill, boil, and can. I end up with tomato sauce, not chunks. It does speed up the process significantly rather than peeling every one by hand. I also use one of those stovetop frying pans with a bit of water in the bottom to keep the jars hot (making an extra burner). You could probably do the same with a crock pot or instant pot. Edited August 24, 2016 by MotherGoose