Comments on: Preserving Summer – Heirloom Tomatoes

By: rls

rls — Sat, 27 Sep 2014 04:35:59 +0000

so if you know how many qts/pts you will be filling with sauce, is there a reason for NOT adding the citric acid to the pot before filling the jars?

By: Matt Mattus

Matt Mattus — Mon, 15 Sep 2014 07:01:46 +0000

We never used to add lemon juice or citric acid, particularly while growing up in the 1960's, although I remember my mother adding lemon juice in later years as she tended to stay up-to-date with current research-based recommendations. Your method of steam canning might be better that standard hot water methods, as higher temperatures are used ( 240º with higher pressure). It's generally accepted that tomatoes alone, particularly if raised in the eastern part of the country and not in the west where the soils carry a higher count of Type A Clostridium botulinum. I tend to trust more current recommendations that if properly sealed and processed will not support the growth of Clostridium botulinum iif one follows the newer method of adding a small bit of acid, either in the form of lemon juice or citric acid – so I do so with all of our home processed tomato products as a precautionary measure.

By: Paul

Paul — Mon, 15 Sep 2014 03:38:02 +0000

Interesting about the citric acid for canning tomatoes. I've read this several places lately, but we've been canning tomatoes for years and have never used it, and we're still alive. We also use a steam canner, which some frown upon. But it's much easier than the water bath.