Mushy whole Roma’s ?

[Chelsea]

Hello I’m new to these forums and to canning. I’m a first time gardener as well. I’ve been successful with my Roma tomato plants and want to can them whole. I did try one can just to test a recipe. The taste was great but I didn’t like the texture and they basically would fall apart. I’ve had many cans of whole Roma tomatoes from the grocery store and theirs are always nice and firm not too mushy. Is there a trick to getting them like that? Thanks!

 

[blissful]

Hello I’m new to these forums and to canning. I’m a first time gardener as well. I’ve been successful with my Roma tomato plants and want to can them whole. I did try one can just to test a recipe. The taste was great but I didn’t like the texture and they basically would fall apart. I’ve had many cans of whole Roma tomatoes from the grocery store and theirs are always nice and firm not too mushy. Is there a trick to getting them like that? Thanks!

I can only guess at your process. First I would use tomatoes that just turned red. No over ripe tomatoes. Score an X at the bottom of the tomato, dip into boiling water for 30 seconds to one minute, no longer, dip into ice cold water, then peel off the skin.

Here is the university of Michigan extension office processing instructions. Were you water bath canning them or pressure canning them? I'd worry that pressure canning would make them softer than water bath canning.
Michigan Fresh: Using, Storing, and Preserving Tomatoes (HNI17) | MSU Extension


BUT, serious eats says:

For boiling-water canners, the processing time is 85 minutes. In a pressure canner, the processing time is 25 minutes at 10 psi. Sure, the venting time adds another 10 minutes, but it's still far less than nearly an hour and a half. Aside from the fact that pressure canning saves valuable time, the long processing time for boiling-water canning may result in a mushier final product. Your mileage may vary.

From: https://www.seriouseats.com/2017/09/how-to-heat-pressure-steam-can-tomatoes-preserve.html


Good luck.

 

[GotGarlic]

Hi and welcome to Discuss Cooking [emoji2]

It can be difficult for home canners to get the same results as commercial canning because they have equipment that is not available or practical for the home canner. Their equipment can bring food to temperature much faster and more evenly than home canning equipment. Also, they often use calcium chloride to help maintain firmness. Blissful's tips might help.

 

[Andy M.]

...I did try one can just to test a recipe. The taste was great but I didn’t like the texture and they basically would fall apart...

I guess it all depends on what you're going to use the tomatoes for. If, for example, they're going into pasta sauces, soups, stews and casserole recipes, their texture in the bottle doesn't matter a bit.

Off the top of my head, I can't think of a use for canned tomatoes that requires they be firm.

 

[Chelsea]

I can only guess at your process. First I would use tomatoes that just turned red. No over ripe tomatoes. Score an X at the bottom of the tomato, dip into boiling water for 30 seconds to one minute, no longer, dip into ice cold water, then peel off the skin.

Here is the university of Michigan extension office processing instructions. Were you water bath canning them or pressure canning them? I'd worry that pressure canning would make them softer than water bath canning.
Michigan Fresh: Using, Storing, and Preserving Tomatoes (HNI17) | MSU Extension


BUT, serious eats says:

From: https://www.seriouseats.com/2017/09/how-to-heat-pressure-steam-can-tomatoes-preserve.html


Good luck.

Ty and I think I over boiled them when getting the skins off I did 70 seconds, I didn’t think that would make a huge difference though. I also did a water bath for 40min cus it was a pint jar.

 

[GotGarlic]

Ty and I think I over boiled them when getting the skins off I did 70 seconds, I didn’t think that would make a huge difference though. I also did a water bath for 40min cus it was a pint jar.

Both of the links blissful provided say 85 minutes of processing time is required for pints and quarts in order to make them safe. Where did you get the recipe you're using?

 

[blissful]

Chelsea those roma's are just coming in now, in Wisconsin, where I am from. You probably have a time to try it again soon. Jars and lids are on sale this time of year too. It's nice to have them on the shelf the rest of the year. If you do, let us know how it went for you. Good luck.

 

[Chelsea]

Both of the links blissful provided say 85 minutes of processing time is required for pints and quarts in order to make them safe. Where did you get the recipe you're using?

This was the first thing that popped up for me.

 

[GotGarlic]

This was the first thing that popped up for me.

I don't see a link.

You need to use recipes that have been tested by universities for safety and approved for canning by the Food and Drug Administration. Random Google search results are not likely to give you that.

Here are some good sites to help you learn how to can foods safely and effectively:

https://nchfp.uga.edu - the university designated as the official canning information site of the FDA

https://www.freshpreserving.com/canning.html - the site of the Ball Canning Company, which makes canning jars

http://foodinjars.com - a blog by an author of canning books who also teaches classes

 

[Chelsea]

Im not trying to argue, I’m just confused because it is t just one site it’s most that say 45 min for pints. https://www.freshpreserving.com/tom...---packed-in-water---ball-recipes-br1063.html

Just confused :/