BEE STAFF REPORTS AND NEWS SERVICESTomato season certainly has been ...

Tag : Farmers Recipes For Canned Vegetables

Not to worry: We've got lots of ideas for using up this year'scrop.
When selecting tomatoes, Dale Johnson of Dale's Produce at theModesto Certified Farmers Market suggests picking firm ones withgood color.
Once you get them home or out of the garden, store them at roomtemperature, never in the refrigerator. The refrigerator causes thejuice to separate from the pulp. Also, chilling causes tomatoes tostop ripening.
You can speed up the ripening process by storing tomatoes in abrown paper bag.
If you are lucky enough to have an abundance of tomatoes, there areseveral ways to preserve the bounty. Depending on how you want touse them later, they can be canned, dehydrated or frozen.
Canning
There are two basic canning methods: water-bath canning, used forhigh-sugar or high-acid foods such as fruit, pickles, tomatoes andjams; and pressure canning, for low-acid items such as beans ormeat.
Tomatoes, because they are considered high acid, can be water-bathcanned. The food is packed into sterilized Mason-type jars, liquidis added, and a sterilized lid is placed on top of the jar. Thefilled jar is submerged in a pan of simmering water for a specifiedprocessing time.
Because many food safety factors are involved, it is important tofollow instructions and use recipes from a reliable source. Recipesfrom the UC Cooperative Extension and the Kerr and Ball companies(the companies that make canning jars and tools) are the best.
It's also important not to use old family recipes. Tomatoes growntoday, for example, are not as acidic as those grown years ago, soit's necessary to add lemon juice or vinegar to them beforewater-bath canning.
Dehydrating
Drying is one of the oldest methods of preserving foods.
First, wash and dry the tomatoes.
"If it's a big tomato, you're going to cut it into quarters, thenyou're going to put it in the sun or the dehydrator," said DaleKuil, 65, who grows tomatoes at his Ripon home.
Drying tomatoes in a dehydrator takes six to eight hours, dependingon the size of the pieces and the moisture content.
"You have to dry them to where they're tough and there's no moremoisture in them," he said. "It's by feel. You can bend them, butthey won't bend and break."
To dry tomatoes in the oven, wash and slice them, then place themon clean screens or racks. Set the oven to the lowest setting, 150degrees or lower. Place the racks inside and leave the door ajarwhile the tomatoes dry. Drying will take about six hours, and youwill probably need to rotate the racks halfway through the dryingtime.
For sun drying, the weather needs to be about 85 degrees. Place thesliced tomatoes on clean screens and cover them with cheesecloth.Prop the cloth up so that it does not rest directly on thetomatoes. The cheesecloth is simply to protect the tomatoes frombugs. Drying will take two to three days, and you will need tobring the screens in at night to prevent moisture buildup.
No matter which method you use, when properly dried, the tomatoeswill be pliable but not sticky or hard. After drying, place thetomatoes in a tightly sealed plastic bag. If they developcondensation, they are not dry enough. Then freeze the tomatoes for24 hours to kill any bugs. Finally, pack the dried tomatoes injars.
Two weeks before you want to use dehydrated tomatoes, place them ina small amount of vinegar or lemon juice and toss to cover. Thendrain them on paper towels. Add seasonings to a clean jar, then addthe tomatoes and fill the jar with oil. Store them in therefrigerator, and in two weeks they will be ready to eat.
Fourteen pounds of fresh tomatoes produces about 8 ounces whendried. Calories and fiber amounts do not change during dehydration,but dried tomatoes will lose a small amount of vitamin A and someother vitamins and minerals. Dehydration destroys nearly all of thevitamin C.
Freezing
For freezing, start with firm, ripe tomatoes. For best results,remove the peels.
To remove the peels, bring a pot of water to a boil, dip the washedtomatoes in it for 30 seconds, then submerge in ice water anddrain. The skins will slip off easily.
Pack whole or cut tomatoes into freezer containers, leaving oneinch of head space to allow for expansion. Seal and freeze them.They will keep in good quality for about a year.
You can also make sauce using your favorite recipe, then freeze itin freezer containers leaving an inch of headspace.
More information
You will find more information and recipes for preserving tomatoesand other vegetables on the Web site for the National Center forHome Food Preservation at www.uga.edu/nchfp ; or contact Terri Spezzano at the University of CaliforniaCooperative Extension Service at 525-6800.