from garden plOTT to kitchen pOTT; canning tomato juice

Today I am going to share with you how I can tomato juice.  I find that canning this juice one afternoon in the summer saves me time and money come winter.  It's very convenient to pull off my pantry shelf and make soup with.  Ott, E loves my vegetable soup and all I do is add some vegetables and meat, heat up on the stove and it's a quick, tasty, warm and healthy meal on those cold winter nights.  I like to use quart sized jars for juice as that makes a nice sized meal of the two of us.

So to start with I have my jars cleaned and in a sink of hot water.  I also have my lids and rings in bowls of hot water.  I put a pot of water on the stove to boil and fill up my canner about 2/3 full of water and turn the heat on low. 

I clean my tomatoes and cut the stems out.  Cut them in half and then drop them into the boiling water. 

I leave them in there for a couple of minutes so they get soft and then drain off the water and place them in a food mill with a pan underneath to catch the juice.  From there it takes some elbow grease to turn the food mill until there is nothing left but seeds and skins.

I then place the freshly squeezed juice in the pot back on the stove to warm up a little and at the same time turn the heat up to high on my canner. I also get me jars out of the sink and get them ready to be filled with juice. I used a funnel and a ladle to get the juice in the jars and am sure to leave some head space at the top of the jar.

Once your jars are filled you can add 1/2 tsp. salt to the jars for flavor but I choose not to.  I still take a paper towel around the rim of the jar (to make sure there is no debris to keep my jar from sealing).  I then add my lid and make sure my rings are screwed on tightly.

Lastly I place my warm jars in the canner. (Remember it's important to keep jars and juice warm so they won't crack when placing them in the canner.)  Once they are all in and the water is boiling I place the lid on the canner.

Once the steam and air have left the canner the pressure gauge will pop up and I know it is time to add my weight.   I can quart sized tomato juice at 10 pounds for 15 minutes. 

Once the weight starts to shake and quake I set my timer for the 15 minutes, and when it is done I turn the heat off.  I will then tilt the weight so it slowly releases steam.  (It's important no to release the steam too quickly as it could cause your jars to break.)

Once all the steam is released I will take the weight off and wait until the rest of the pressure leaves the canner and the pressure gauge drops down.  At that time I take off the lid and carefully remove the jars from the canner. 

Once the jars are out, I turn the heat back on the canner and sometimes add some more water to it, and then get the next batch going.  Doing multiple batches does take some timing because you don't want your jars to get cool waiting on the water to heat up.  At times when I am doing a lot I have 2 canners that I get going and try to alternate when they have jars inside them so there is always one batch ready to go. 

Listen for your jars to pop so you know they have completely sealed.  And don't be surprised if your juice starts to separate.  That is normal and whenever you are ready to use your juice shake it up before you open the jar.

My tips for canning tomato juice is wear old clothes as there is a good chance at some point you are going to get some juice on you and it is hard to get out sometimes.  Also select varieties of tomatoes that are juicy and not meaty.  I try to keep the meatier tomatoes for sauce or salsa.


For more canning tips head on over to Jen's Blog; From Mess Hall to Bistro, and while you are there don't forget to sign up for our give-a-ways as there are lots of kitchen and canning items you won't want to miss.

If you are interested in learning more about canning check out our facebook page where you can post and find recipes, ask questions and meet other canners.

And if you are a canner feel free to link up to our Canning Week Linky Party and share what you know and how you can.  The linky is open till 4 pm Friday, August 27th and we are excited to announce that we will be having a guest judge for our linky party.....Jane from Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms will look for the post with the most descriptive explanation, good pictures and entertaining read and that blogger will win a copy of her cook book "Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms." 
All winners will be announced on Saturday, August 28th.

This post was linked to:
Gratituesday at HeavenlyHomemakers, Tasty Tuesday Beauty and Bedlam, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace, Tuesday at the Table with All the Small Stuff, Tuesday Taste with Crazy Daisy, Two for Tuesdays with the Girl Chef, Delicious Dish at It's a Blog Party, Twister Tuesdays with GNOWFGLINS
Tip Junkie, Anything Related Tuesday at All Thingz Related, Anti-Procrastination Tuesday at New Nostalgia. TopsyTurvy Tuesdays with I'm Topsy Turvy