Canning vs. Freezing.

[angelique]

Hi All,

I have never canned tomatoes (nor any other fruit or veggie). What are the benefits to canning? Are tomatoes that are frozen equally as good to use?

Thanks for your help.

Angleique

[GreenThumbGal_07]

Angelique,

I've never canned, though I know someday I should learn.

Last summer/fall my excess harvest went into ZipLoc freezer bags. I've recently been taking them out to thaw and enjoy.

A word of warning: the freezing process means the water in the fruit will separate from the fruit itself. Consequently, when the bag's contents are thawed, the fruit won't be pretty and whole (though it will taste fine). Freezing works very well for puree and sauce, though.

I think canning is good if you want to have whole fruit, I can't think of any other advantage over freezing.

GTG

[angelique]

Thanks GTG. I do want to learn how to can; just not now. I want to spend my extra time learning to become a better gardener. I am also afraid of not canning correctly. I don't want to risk getting sick.

[chilhuacle]

I can when I want to put up whole or quartered tomatoes.

I usually process tomatoes through a veggie strainer to take out the seeds and skins and make sauce. Most of the time after cooking it down I'll can it. If something comes up or I just don’t feel like doing the water bath I’ll freeze the jars. I doubt I could tell the difference in a side by side taste test.

Really, the main reason I can sauce is that it won’t all fit in my freezer.

Bruce

[Earl]

The best way to get carried away canning is for someone to give you a pint/quart of canned heirlooms about Febuary and you just sit there and scoff down the whole jar. Then, you'll become a canner. :-)

[SelfSufficient1]

I had read (in Countryside) that you can freeze tomatoes whole. Take them out and thaw them in a colandar(with something underneath to catch the liquid). Then put them in a blender or food processor and chop them up to a liquid, strain and you will have a very good tomato sauce. You may need to add in a bit of the liquid you saved. Anyone every tried this? I am hoping to if my tomatoes grow this year, lol.

[ACEHearts]

I have frozen whole tomatoes in the past, and then ended up not using them (I know.. terrible.. it was in my young and stupid days) I know myself personally, I'm more likely to use them if I've canned them and can just pop open a jar and dump, then if I have to actually do some work with them out of the freezer. That being said, I'm sure there will end up being some in the freezer this year as well.

For some reason though I thought I had a jar shortage, so I've been collecting extra sealers. I just had a good look at my shelves, and I don't know *what* was thinking... but suffice it to say, I will have a lot of canning to do before I need to worry about freezing my 'maters!

Cindy <---who's current project is making maple syrup.. gotta do something to pass the time until spring!

[coronabarb]

angelique,

I prefer frozen to canned, as I think it tastes fresher. (I also have a freezer in the garage) Canning cuts down on tomatoes taking up room in the freezer, so if you have lots, that's a good way to go. Just get a Ball Blue book, follow directions for water bath canning and you won't get sick. Tomatoes and pickles are pretty easy to do. The other stuff has to be pressure canned and I don't do that.

I now have a Foodsaver vacuum sealer and since it draws out all the air, the tomatoes won't get freezer burn or water crystals on the outside. I'm hoping for lots of maters so I can share pics.

[grungy]

Fraid I have to agree with Earl, those February canned tomatoes (and March, April, May) make their own case for canning.
Val

[cdntomato]

For me, there is no canning versus freezing. They serve different purposes.

Frozen tomatoes are never eaten thawed and raw--a quick swipe under running hot water to facilitate skin removal and into whatever is being cooked they go. Freezing is a terrific, fast, energy-efficient way to preserve an excess of produce for the tomatoless winter months.

However, if I want to have a taste of summer as full on as I can, opening a jar of canned tomatoes is the way to do it. Fork straight into the jar, juice dripping down chin good. My water-packed peaches are the only thing that comes close.

Drying tomatoes is yet another wonderful post-harvest experience, again serving a different purpose.

Jennifer

[MsCowpea]

Jennifer, when you opened that jar did you can them in water, tomato juice, or just squished down in the jar. I have never canned anything (except strawberry jam) but am going to get a pressure canner and give it a whirl. I read about those 3 ways to pack the tomatoes and was wondering which makes them taste the best. Farkee (mcp)

[clay199]

Farkee,
the pressure canner purchase really deserves a thread of its own.

I need to buy one.

[MsCowpea]

I agree, down here the 3 main choices seem to be Presto, Mirro, and All-American. I have researched all 3 and 'think' I have come to a conclusion.


You have to decide on the gauge or weight kind and then you have to take into consideration if you have a glass-top stove.

Do you have any other brands available in Canada?

I will start a thread about PC.

[gardengalrn]

I think half is personal preference and the other is storage space (freezer vs shelf), time, and economy. My sister loves to freeze tomatoes but I like to can them. I prefer the flavor of canned plus I don't have the freezer space for what I like to put up. The time spent on the front end to can is retrieved back at dinner time when all you have to do is pop open a jar and go. If I have a load of tomatoes and no time to put them up then they go into the freezer until I do. There are other veggies I prefer frozen, such as corn and beans but I'll generally can some of them too.

[Catntree]

MsCowpea,

I can my tomatoes squished into the jar; letting the seeds and juice out as you squish them in. Terrific food staple, here. (About 50 Quarts/year)