Good canning varieties

[Adenn1]

My dear mother still loves to can tomatoes (in addition to making tomato juice). She wondered what heirloom varities would be good for canning.

My initial response was some of the Heinz varities...any others?

Thanks much....

[carolyn137]

All reds:

Break O Day
Druzba
Bulgarian #7
Red Brandywine
Rutgers
St Pierre
Picardy
Valiant
Marglobe
New Yorker
Wisconsin 55
.......are a few you might want to check out.

[nctomatoman]

I can everything except cherry tomatoes. The large meaty types (Lillian's Yellow, etc), particularly the heart shaped varieties (Nicky Crain, German Red Strawberry), are superb as canners. We just pick whatever is ripe and you have really attractive quart jars with all sorts of colors!

[Catntree]

I can everything except cherries and pastes....agree that the hearts are fabulous canners. I like to mix the colors usually, but last year did a batch of all green tomatoes.

Pastes get processed to sauce and tomato paste. I don't have much use for cherries.

Carolyn's list has nice tomatoes that don't get the green or yellow shoulders.....those types will take you aback until you just decide to cut that whole part out, so if your Mom doesn't want to cut off shoulders or occasional catfacing, those nice reds are a good start.

I process over 100 quarts of toms every season, so I don't get too selective for perfection

[bully]

I can em all too..I cook down the cherries and make them into ketchup...Mmmm..Sungold ketchup.

[angelique]

Bully... Please share the recipe.

[montanamato]

I agree, anything goes when canning tomatoes....However, it can be helpful to have mostly determinates if you want to get your canning done within a week, otherwise you end up canning a few quarts here and there...
Sioux, Rutgers, Dona, and Hungarian/Ital. Paste have been some of my most used canners in the past.
I don't have the patience for cherries, but if this year is as bad as last I suppose that is always a possiblity..
Jeanne

[barkeater]

Adenn, are you asking about canning tomatoes as sauce, or whole, or both? There seems to be some confusion in the replies.

[Adenn1]

I should have been more specific...my mother cans whole/sectioned tomatoes. Several good points were brought up (and thanks for all the great replies)...I believe she would be concerned about canning for a brief period...and then be done with it. Last year she put up about 80 quarts of tomato juice and about the same number of whole/sectioned tomatoes.

The other issue is she is more comfortable with tomatoes with fewer blemishes and solid in color (though, she is getting used to and understands the minor issue of blemishes and such with heirlooms).

I talked to her about trying freezing some tomatoes, but she had little interest in this..."I'm a canner," she replied. I do remember spending a lot of time as a child picking tomatoes for her and standing at the sink skinning them. I did not have much interest in tomatoes then...but they were wonderful times spent together.

Again...thanks for the help and I look forward to sharing all of this with dear Mom.

[carolyn137]

If whole cutup/sectioned tomatoes for canning then I'll stick with the varieties I listed initially since they are prolific varieties, heirlooms as you requested, are almost always blemish free, and actually I had assumed that you were talking about that kind of canning rather than making sauce.

For sauce I'd use anything great tasting that I had available, but for canning I'd want something a bit different.

[domoarimato]

I like to can all colors and sizes of tomatoes. Cherry types i don't can, but when they are green they sure make some awesome pickles. What I do is pick a gallonor so of green ones and stuff them into pint jars (not quarts) with a couple of hot peppers ( Scotch Bonnets work well) and some green onions and cilantro (not dill, though i bet dill would work well too!). Then add about a tablespoon of sugar to a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water, and -voila instant martini garnish!!!-happy gardening 2006 to all-Bri

[peppereater]

brainsander:
"voila instant martini garnish!!!-"
You are a genius!
What part of Oklahoma are you in, by the way? I live between Tecumseh and Norman.
Sorry if I'm off topic, folks.

[Organic_Nut]

WHAT a Great sounding recipe. and I am not one for recipes. but this one is creative.

I have some scotch bonnets and I know how hot they will make anything they share space in a jar. the entire jar will taste hot like the scotch bonnet but have great flavor with the heat in those nice sized small cherry tomates. what a great idea.

In the past I grow lots of cucumbers and that way can pick a bunch of tiny cucs at the same time and pickle them in salt. then transfer them to jars with hot pepper garlic and vinegar and a little sugar and dill. awesome.

so I like the idea with the small green cherry tomatoes.
.

[domoarimato]

Peppereater, I am in Midwest city. My Grandma lives in Noble out your way. Unfortuanately she can't garden anymore due to her eyesight: Macular Degeneration. I still take her pecks upon pecks of tomatoes through the summer though.-Bri

[Plantersville]

Last year was my first year to can tomatoes and I canned everything I couldnt eat or give away.....I had 125 plants in the ground and it was a good year for me. I also put up salsa, ketsup and tomato sauce.....I am still eating canned tomatoes fromlast year trying to get them eaten up.
Cheers
Chuck B