Canned Tomatoes in Tomato Juice

Originally shared by Megan Erickson, former SDSU Extension Nutrition Field Specialist.

Try this research-tested recipe for canned tomatoes packed in tomato juice courtesy of the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

Ingredients

• 21 pounds, Tomatoes, whole or halved
• 14 tablespoons, Bottled lemon juice
• 7 teaspoons, Salt (optional)

Yield: Makes about 7 quarts.

Directions

To Prepare

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 halved.

Tomatoes

1. Raw pack or hot pack in jars with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to each quart (1 tablespoon per pint jar). One teaspoon of salt can be added to each jar, if desired.
   • To raw pack: Heat tomato juice in a saucepan. Fill jars with raw tomatoes, leaving ½-inch headspace. Cover tomatoes in the jars with hot tomato juice, leaving ½-inch headspace.
   • To hot pack: Put tomatoes in a large saucepan and add enough tomato juice to completely cover them. Boil tomatoes and juice gently for 5 minutes. Fill jars with hot tomatoes and add hot tomato juice to the jars to cover the tomatoes, leaving ½-inch headspace.
2. Secure lids and process in a water bath canner for 85 minutes (Altitudes above 1,000 ft require an increase in processing time).

*To reduce processing time, this recipe may be pressure canned. Visit the National Center for Home Food Preservation for directions on pressure canning.

To learn more about canning tomatoes, watch our Common Questions About Canning Tomatoes video!