Getting Ready for Tomato Canning

Water bath canning is a great way to preserve all of the tomatoes your garden has been producing. Prepare yourself for canning day by selecting the best varieties and recipes for your year-round tomato needs.
Because of the way you’ll process the tomatoes for canning, it is best to select varieties that are more “meaty.” A nice juicy slicing tomato is great for sandwiches, and bite size cherry tomatoes are delicious in salads, but all that extra water can be a hindrance for the canning process and can lead to a mushy canned tomato. For this reason, you should select “paste” tomatoes for most of your canning needs. For juice and sauces, you can also use firm slicing tomatoes. Although all tomatoes are somewhat acidic, the best tomatoes for canning will be more acidic, with a pH below 4.6. Regardless of which variety you choose to can, it is advisable to further acidify your canned tomatoes by adding 1/2 tsp of citric acid, 2 Tbs. of bottled lemon juice or 4 Tbs. of vinegar per quart-jar for safety. You can add sugar if needed to adjust for the acidic flavor. Some good varieties for canning are: Amish Paste, Roma, San Marzano, Black Krim, Cherokee Purple, Brandywine, Porter Improved, Beefsteak, Thessaloniki, White Wonder, Burbank, Silvery Fir Tree or Evergreen.
The Best Canning Tomatoes
The process of canning tomatoes actually started when you selected your tomato seeds for planting (or when you visit the farmer’s market to shop for tomatoes). Not all tomatoes are well-suited to canning.