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Logan Utah

what is the best canning tomato that you have grown

2/14/2013 10:46:47 PM

Ontario

If your talking plum tomatoe, I like one I buy from William Dam Seeds in Ontario Canada, called" Viva Italia "
for a normal tomato " Italian Heirloom " from SeedSavers it was the winner of their taste contest this year. Terry

2/14/2013 11:03:55 PM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

We always used Roma..Opalka(SP) and another hybrid that was high in vitamins.

2/15/2013 7:40:00 AM

The bottom of New Jersey

My favorites are Jersey Devil and Kosovo. Both are on the sweet side.

2/15/2013 8:44:26 AM

Westmoreland, KS

Celebrity/jet star hands down

2/15/2013 9:02:35 AM

The North Coast

Paste tomatoes like roma and opalka are great for sauces, but round slightly firmer tomatoes like celebrity and jet star make for good canned tomatoes. Depends on what you want.

If you are making sauce and have run the tomatoes through a mill what you will get is tomato juice. A tip my mother told me is to put the "juice" into the refrigerator for a day or so and the water will separate from the paste and the paste can then be scooped off the top. That method sure does beat simmering the juicy pulp all day to reduce it.

2/15/2013 10:19:27 AM

Bethlehem CT

Hey Nate Thanks for the tip about the refrigerator. I will have to tell that one to my wife. For the past couple of years she has been quartering and roasting the tomatoes in the oven on a cookie sheet. Most of the water comes out onto the sheet. We usually can whatever we have extras of. Usually 'Better Boys' , polish linguisa. They are all good.

2/15/2013 8:01:46 PM

Anamosa, IA [email protected]

I prefer Better Boy. They rarely split and are easy to peel, have nice size and flavor. I also can Lemon Boy whole and juice for use in vegetable venison soup. They have a milder flavor that is great in the soup.

2/15/2013 8:33:45 PM

Spanaway

romas are great for salsa

2/16/2013 12:41:42 PM

The North Coast

Best to use at least one clear container if you are new to the refrigerator technique. It does take some time and the clear container allows you to see the progress.

2/17/2013 7:50:20 AM

The North Coast

My mother would also just save the paste in baggies then when she had enough she would make the sauce. This way you can harvest small amounts through out the year and save what you get for a large batch of sauce later.

2/17/2013 7:54:08 AM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

I remember it now it was called "healthy kick"

2/17/2013 8:17:44 AM

Make sure you're acidifying your tomatoes with lemon juice or citric acid and following the prescribed USDA guidelines on processing. Many of the varieties listed above would likely fall under the categorization of low acid tomatoes which require a supplemental source of acid for canning. Following the proper precautions, you can preserve whichever variety floats your boat. As someone else mentioned, it depends what you like. My personal favorites are Rutgers and Big Beef, because I like their flavor. The Big Beefs don't hold up as well as some of the firmer varieties, but that's a trade off I am willing to make.

2/18/2013 10:15:18 AM