This is the last of the 6 canning workshops organised by Richmond Food Secure and Richmond Fruit Tree Project. The workshops were a great success with full attendance. Here are the earlier workshops I attended:
There is nothing quite like the taste of sweet, ripe tomatoes. Canning is a way to capture a taste of summer to brighten up a grey winter day. Canning tomatoes seemed to be very popular and 3 tomatoes canning workshops were conducted. It looks like a lot of people love to plant tomatoes.
The above are some of the tomatoes that Karen harvested from her community garden in downtown Vancouver and her balcony. They include Green Zebra, Tigerella (orange with green), Italian Plum (small red) and Purple Ball (the big red one as it did not turn out to be purple). Karen and Colleen started with 50 tomato plants from seed in early spring. In May they planted the seedlings in the community garden in downtown. Not all of the tomatoes have yield a lot of fruit but the Tomatillos, Sungolds (tiny orange tomatoes), Italian Plum, Black Plum and Green Zebra have been the most prolific.
You may infused the tomatoes with herbs and spices but do not add too much as the addition may changed the acidity of the content and caused spoilage.
Ingredients
For each 500ml jar, you will need:
- about 1 pound (400 to 500 gram) tomatoes
- 1/4 teaspoon of powdered citric acid or 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice. Bottled lemon juice is recommended as it has a defined acidity, whereas fresh lemon juice will vary significantly in acidity, depending upon the individual lemon.
- salt, if desired, up to 1/2 teaspoon
- herbs and spices if desired
Instructions
Prepare 500ml jars, rings and lids by washing them in hot soapy water and rinse well. Place lids in HOT, not boiling water, for 5 minutes before using. Do not heat rings. Heat jars in canning pot or large basin, with hot water. You may place the jars in the dish washer and run a rinse cycle with heat dry and kept them inside the dish washer to keep warm while you prepare your canning material.
![]() If preparing only a few tomatoes the skin can be removed with a peeler, otherwise use the following method. To peel the tomatoes, cut a shallow X in the bottom end of each ripe fruit. |
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![]() Tomatoes may also be packed “raw”, but the resulting product may seem more “watery” if not drained for later use. |
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![]() After cooling, check jar seals. Sealed lids curve downward and do not move when pressed. Remove screw bands; wipe and dry bands and jars. Store screw bands separately or replace loosely on jars, as desired. Label and store jars in a cool, dark place. Arzeena shared with us that the Food Bank is setting up an equipment library which include the canning equipments. If there is anyone who would like to do canning with their friends but doesn’t have the equipment, please do let Arzeena know. She would love to have the canning pots, jars, etc and everything in use. Arzeena’s contact can be found in the Richmond Food Secure website. Karen and Arzeena, thank you for conducting and organizing these wonderful workshops. |
Thank you, Suanne, for posting such detailed accounts of the canning workshops! I love having jars of “Summer Sunshine” in the cupboard for winter days. Also, I appreciate having some control over what I am eating, buy making my own preserves. At home, I have been making just a few jars at a time, as the produce ripens.
^^ of course, I meant to spell correctly… “by making my own preserves” Oops.
Thank you, Suanne, for posting such detailed accounts of the canning workshops! I love having jars of “Summer Sunshine” in the cupboard for winter days. Also, I appreciate having some control over what I am eating, buy making my own preserves. At home, I have been making just a few jars at a time, as the produce ripens.
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