(photos: Jersey plum tomatoes washed and ready to be cut)
August is prime season for canning tomatoes and this year's Jersey plum tomatoes are outstanding! The Scordo family purchased about five bushels of locally grown plum tomatoes and canned only passato (passato is essentially pureed tomato, in the past we canned a combination of passato and whole tomatoes). As the site e-rcps.com points out:
Tomatoes are usually preserved in three different forms, each of which has its particular uses. First there are the ordinary tinned or bottled whole tomatoes, 1. pomodori pelati, which contain a high percentage of liquid and are best used for dishes that require a tomato base but need a long cooking time. Secondly there is the puree, 2. passato di pomodoro, which is a much thicker reduction of tomatoes, sometimes flavoured with celery, onion, carrot and basil, then called pomaruola or conserva. This is ideal for sauces which need a rich body of tomato. Thirdly there is the tomato concentrate, 3. concentrato di pomodoro, which is the tomato reduced to a very strong paste and flavour and is useful for colour and flavour in a dish where bulk tomato is not required.
The advantage to canning passato is that when it comes time to make tomato sauce for dinner or lunch, there is no need to food mill whole tomatoes!
(photos: cutting the plum tomatoes into sections and removing some of the seeds)
(photo: tomatoes being put through the food mill for passato)
(photo: pure tomato passato!)
(photo: future canning expert examining the end result" tomato bliss in a Mason jar!)
August is prime season for canning tomatoes and this year's Jersey plum tomatoes are outstanding! The Scordo family purchased about five bushels of locally grown plum tomatoes and canned only passato (passato is essentially pureed tomato, in the past we canned a combination of passato and whole tomatoes). As the site e-rcps.com points out:
Tomatoes are usually preserved in three different forms, each of which has its particular uses. First there are the ordinary tinned or bottled whole tomatoes, 1. pomodori pelati, which contain a high percentage of liquid and are best used for dishes that require a tomato base but need a long cooking time. Secondly there is the puree, 2. passato di pomodoro, which is a much thicker reduction of tomatoes, sometimes flavoured with celery, onion, carrot and basil, then called pomaruola or conserva. This is ideal for sauces which need a rich body of tomato. Thirdly there is the tomato concentrate, 3. concentrato di pomodoro, which is the tomato reduced to a very strong paste and flavour and is useful for colour and flavour in a dish where bulk tomato is not required.
The advantage to canning passato is that when it comes time to make tomato sauce for dinner or lunch, there is no need to food mill whole tomatoes!
You can read my detailed article on how to can tomatoes here. Enjoy the photos from our 2010 tomato canning extravaganza:
(photos: cutting the plum tomatoes into sections and removing some of the seeds)
(photos: cooking cut tomatoes in large aluminum pots)
(photo: stirring the tomatoes)
(photo: stirring the tomatoes)
(photo: almost ready for the large food mill)
(photo: Italian-made food mill being set up)
(photo: food mill set up)
(photo: tomatoes being put through the food mill for passato)
(photo: pure tomato passato!)
(photo: the food mill does a great job of removing the skins from the tomato, tomato skins are the enemy of a good tomato sauce)
(photo: preparing sterile mason jars with basil)
(photos: fresh garden basil)
(photo: moving passato into mason jars)
(photo: the tomato canning process is intense and very hands on, but the end result is terrific)
(photo: future canning expert examining the end result" tomato bliss in a Mason jar!)
(photo: strainers help wash whole tomatoes)
(photos: bushel crates, five in total for the Scordo family)
Italian
