Preserved Tomatoes

Preserved Tomatoes

It's not long ago that most rural households would have preserved the bounty of food grown in their gardens, or that of their neighbours. My granny was a keen preserver, using up all the gluts grown by both her and my Grampy's hard working hands. I grew up with the idea of preserving being the norm, even though it didn't happen much in our household; my mum's generation had already begun to loosen its grip on the waste-not culture with the advent of supermarkets and cheap imported food.

There's nothing much wrong with a good tin of tomatoes, canning is a wonderful preserving method. However, if like me you are a keen grower or live in the vicinity of one, there is something magical about capturing the summer in a jar and then reaching for it in the depths of winter.

Ingredients

Summer · Serves Makes 5 x 500ml (18fl oz) jars

  • 2.75kg (6lb)

    tomatoes

  • 7½ tsp

    lemon juice

  • 10 tsp

    flaky sea salt

  • 5 tsp

    caster sugar

  • You will also need

    5

    x 500ml (18fl oz) sterilized screw-top bottling jars (with a flat disc lid and a metal band to seal)

Recipe image

Method

Give the tomatoes a good rinse, then using a paring knife score a cross on their bottoms (not the stalk end). Place them in a bowl (you may need to use a few bowls), then cover with boiling water. Allow the tomatoes to steep in the water for 1–2 minutes, then drain. Once cool enough to handle, carefully peel away the skins.

For chopped tomatoes, cut into halves or quarters, depending on the size of the tomato. Alternatively, keep them whole for the equivalent of plum tomatoes.

Into each sterilized jar, add 1½ teaspoons lemon juice, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon caster sugar. Pack the tomatoes tightly into each jar, leaving about a 2.5cm (1in) gap at the top so the tomatoes can expand during the bottling process. Screw the lids on tightly and then loosen by about a quarter of a turn.

Sit a large pan that's taller than the jars on the hob and place a folded tea towel in the bottom. Stand the jars in the pan on top of the towel then add enough warm water to the pan to reach the shoulder of the jars. Bring to a simmer over a gentle heat (88°C/190°F). This should take around 40 minutes. Maintain this temperature for 2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.

Scoop out some of the water to make it easier to reach the lids of the jars. Use a tea towel to carefully remove the jars and stand them on a wooden surface or thick folded towel. Quickly twist the lids so they are all fully tight, then leave the jars undisturbed to cool.

Check the seals to make sure they have formed a vacuum by unscrewing the ring; if any jars are not sealed, process again. Store in a cool, dry spot and use within 12 months. TIP: To sterilize jars, wash them along with their lids in hot, soapy water and rinse well. Still wet, stand them upside down on a large baking tray with their lids separately alongside, and place in an oven preheated to 160°C/325°F/gas mark 3 for about 15 minutes. Ideally, fill them while still warm.
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