This year in Ontario our tomatoes were early. Not only were they early, they were absolutely perfect!

The girls had lots of energy to help out with prep and canning, and the weather couldn’t have been better.

It is a simple process that is best done outdoors; so it’s an easy clean up with the garden hose!
Besides, the burners are supposed to be used outdoors in well-ventilated areas.

Here is what we do…

1. I buy my tomatoes with guidance from Margaret at our local market, Rock Garden Farms. We select just the right tomatoes (not too ripe) and left out to ripen further, so they are just right a few days later. Timing is everything; so let your farmer know when you’re canning.

2. We lay them on a bed sheet in our dining room for about three days before the process. This way we get to see which ones are not suitable for the canning process and remove them.

3. We start the two burners with their pots half full of water to get the water nice and hot, one for removing the skins, one for canning. Then we load up our buckets of tomatoes to bring outside and wash with cold water.

4. We add a bucket of clean tomatoes to the boiling water, wait for the skins to split, then remove them from the hot water and put them into cold water, until ready for peeling.

5. Once the skins are removed, we add sea salt to the peeled tomatoes and fill the sterilized jars almost to the top, cover with the sterilized lids, and tighten by hand.

6. In the second burner to process the jars, the water has to be boiling. It will stop when you add the jars gently into the water using your canning tool. Wait until it starts boiling again and then boil them for at least 20 minutes.

7. Remove the jars very carefully with the canning tool and set them aside until they can be moved to a  safe area where they can cool and snap shut!

8. It may take a few hours for all the lids to seal properly, so be patient. Any jars that do not seal by morning should be refrigerated and used within a week.

9. Keep all of your Bernardin boxes so you can store them away easily without taking up too much room. A small, cool area in the basement is fine.

10. The experience of canning will give anyone who tries this for the first time a new appreciation for local food and the great flavour they will experience over the winter months. My girls had a fabulous time, getting dirty and learning how to can!

This is how we eat local!

Follow