Canning Diced Tomatoes

Hybrid tomatoes like Viva Italia, Amish paste or Roma are best for dicing.  Of course, you can preserve any tomato but you will have to remove the seeds while dicing. For this reason, picking a meatier hybrid tomato such as Pink or Red Oxheart, Cherokee Purple or Pineapple is a plus.

According to World’s Healthiest Foods, “Lycopene from tomatoes has been repeatedly studied in humans and found to be protective against a growing list of cancers. These cancers now include colorectal, prostate, breast, endometrial, lung, and pancreatic cancers.”

1 cup of tomatoes is only 37 calories and chucked full of vitamin C, A, K, B’s and E. As well as, potassium, manganese, dietary fiber, chromium, folate, copper, niacin, magnesium, iron, and protein.

According to the Purdue University extension office, “Home gardens are a great way to produce healthy, nutritious fruits and vegetables. But healthy eating doesn't have to stop when gardens quit producing. With the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning and other food preservation publications now available at The Education Store, you can preserve the healthy, home-grown nutrition you value and make it available all year round."

Canning diced tomatoes are great when making tacos and burrito’s. So even in the wintertime you have the taste of summer.

Supplies needed for Canning Diced Tomatoes:

• Canning lids, rings and jars
• Sharp knife
• Large pan or graniteware canner
• Wet paper towel
•  Hand towel

Instructions for Canning Diced Tomatoes:

1. Pick from the garden; firm, ripe, meaty, tomatoes.  You want to can them as fresh as possible. If you are not growing them in your garden buy them from a local supermarket, farmer or farmers market.
2. Buy the canning lids, rings and jars from the local supermarket, farmers market or Wal-mart.  Make sure to look at the package and buy the right size appropriate for the jars. Some are wide mouth lids and some are regular lids.
3. Wash the tomatoes real well to remove any dirt or pesticides that might be on them. Even if they are organic, they still need washed.
4. With a sharp knife, dice the tomatoes in pieces appropriate to the recipes you will be using them. The variety and size of tomato will determine how many pieces you get per tomato.
5. Wash the canning jars, in hot soapy water, even if they are new, right out of the store packaging.
6. Get the large pan or granite ware canner, for the water bath or canning procedure. Heat enough water to cover your jars.
7. Fill the jars with the diced tomatoes leaving ½ inch to an inch head space. Fill the jar with hot water. Wipe off the lid or mouth of the jar with a wet paper towel, it is necessary for the mouth of the jar to be clean for the jar to seal.
8.  Put the lid and ring on the jar, and snug tight.
9. Put your sealed jars of diced tomatoes into the hot water, this is the water bath. Put the lid on the pan and boil for at least 15 minutes but no longer than 20 minutes, cooking them to long will make them mushy.
10. Take the jars out of the hot water, being very careful, set them on a hand towel to cool and seal.

Other vegetable preservation posts: How to Can Tomato Juice and How to Can Green Beans