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Tomatoes Water Bath Canning (Whole, Halved, or Diced)
The year 2017 was the year of the great tomato boom for us! The year before, we had a horrible drought, and our large palm-sized tomatoes were cherry-sized. I barely got 6 pints of tomato sauce canned that year, which did not last us long during the winter. But this year was the complete opposite.
Our harvest ended in approximately 100 pounds of fresh fruit grown in our small garden. For weeks, I was completely busy harvesting, washing, and processing tomatoes before they went bad. I made and canned my homemade unseasoned tomato sauce and paste and then canned diced tomatoes.
I love canning diced tomatoes. In fact, it is much easier and faster than pureeing them into the sauce. With sauce, you have to dirty another stockpot and cook it down for a few hours. But with diced version, you just clean, cut, and shove into hot mason jars. Also with tomato sauce, it is best to peel the skin from the tomatoes, but I skip that step for diced tomato canning. You can peel if you prefer, but it just saves time, saves the hassle of cutting them up, and I can’t tell the difference when eating them.
There are two brilliant methods to can your whole, halved, or diced tomatoes and I have included both in this post. One way is to
Canning Equipment
Are you new to canning? Or do you need more materials? You can get everything you need to can your fresh garden-grown tomatoes all right here and through Amazon.
Our cost to make this recipe.
I can not come up with an actual price for this water bath canning recipe because the number of tomatoes can vary. The best way to save money is to grow your very own harvest during the summer and can them as they become ripe on the vine. This way, your tomatoes are virtually free.
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Recipe adapted
This canning recipe is from So Easy To Preserve canning cookbook from the Cooperative Extension Service at the University of Georgia.All images and text are all my own and original to Vintage Mountain Homestead. Click here for our home food preservation disclaimer information.
Tomatoes Canning (Whole, Halved, Crushed, or Diced)
Ingredients
- tomatoes
- bottled lemon juice
- salt
Instructions
Packed in Water
- Wash tomatoes and dip them in boiling water for 30-60 seconds or until skins split. Dip them in cold water and slip off skins and remove cores. Leave whole, cut in half, or dice tomatoes.
- Heat water in a tea kettle to a boil. Add lemon juice to each sterile mason jar (1 tbsp. to each pint or 2 tbsp. for quarts). Then add salt to each mason jar (½tsp. to each pint or 1 tsp for quarts).
- Pack prepared tomatoes either whole, halved, or diced into hot mason jars leaving ½ inch headspace. Shake jars to move tomatoes further down jar. Fill boiling water from kettle over tomatoes leaving ½inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and fill with more water if needed to cover tomatoes.
- Wipe rims of jars and adjust lids and rings to jars finger tight. Process in boiling water bath canner for 40 minutes.
No Liquid Added
- Repeat step 1 from Packed in Water instructions.
- Add lemon juice and salt to each sterile mason jars (1 tbsp. lemon juice and ½tsp. salt to pints) or (2 tbsp. lemon juice and 1 tsp. salt to quarts).
- Fill hot jars with raw tomatoes either whole, halved or diced and press until spaces between them fill with juice. Keep filling until ½ inch headspace is reached. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims, adjust lids and rings, and process in water bath canner for 85 minutes.
Tomato Canning (Whole, Halved, Crushed, or Diced)
A foolproof boiling water canning recipe for any tomatoes shown two different ways.Cost of recipe varies.
4.92 from 12 votes
Grow.Me Print Pin Add to Shopping List
Prep Time 1 hour hr
Cook Time 40 minutes mins
Resting Time 1 day d
Total Time 1 day d 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins
Course Canning, Homemade Ingredients
Cuisine American
Calories/Serving
Cooking Methods
Water Bath Canner
Mason Jars, Rings, and Lids
Ingredients
- tomatoes
- bottled lemon juice
- salt
Instructions
Packed in Water
Wash tomatoes and dip them in boiling water for 30-60 seconds or until skins split. Dip them in cold water and slip off skins and remove cores. Leave whole, cut in half, or dice tomatoes.
Heat water in a tea kettle to a boil. Add lemon juice to each sterile mason jar (1 tbsp. to each pint or 2 tbsp. for quarts). Then add salt to each mason jar (½tsp. to each pint or 1 tsp for quarts).
Pack prepared tomatoes either whole, halved, or diced into hot mason jars leaving ½ inch headspace. Shake jars to move tomatoes further down jar. Fill boiling water from kettle over tomatoes leaving ½inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and fill with more water if needed to cover tomatoes.
Wipe rims of jars and adjust lids and rings to jars finger tight. Process in boiling water bath canner for 40 minutes.
No Liquid Added
Repeat step 1 from Packed in Water instructions.
Add lemon juice and salt to each sterile mason jars (1 tbsp. lemon juice and ½tsp. salt to pints) or (2 tbsp. lemon juice and 1 tsp. salt to quarts).
Fill hot jars with raw tomatoes either whole, halved or diced and press until spaces between them fill with juice. Keep filling until ½ inch headspace is reached. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims, adjust lids and rings, and process in water bath canner for 85 minutes.
