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How to Can Tomato Bruschetta

Tomato Bruschetta

Yield: 7 (8 oz) half- pint jars 

Home-canned Tomato Bruschetta tastes great on a cold winter day to remind you of summer! It is a clean, elegant recipe combining your own  ripe tomatoes mixed with garlic, oregano, basil and balsamic vinegar.

Ingredients

• Tomatoes: 4 lb (about 12 medium sized Roma / Paste / Plum tomatoes to produce 9 cups of chopped cored tomatoes
• 5 cloves worth (5 teaspoons of minced garlic (I used the already prepared minced garlic)
• 1 cup white wine vinegar 5% acidity
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 Tablespoons sugar (or Stevia / Truvia)
• 2 Tablespoons dried basil
• 2 Tablespoons dried oregano
• 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Equipment

• 1 water bath canner (a huge pot to sanitize the jars after filling (about $30 to $35 - $30 at mall kitchen stores and local "big box" stores.  Note: we sell canners, supplies and kits through our affiliates: click here or see the bottom of this page) Tomatoes are on the border between the high-acid fruits that can be preserved in a boiling-water bath and the low-acid fruits, vegetables  and meats that need pressure canning.
• Pint (or smaller) canning jars (Ball or Kerr jars can be found at Publix, Kroger, Safeway and local "big box" stores - about $13 per dozen 8-ounce jars, more for quilted design or larger jars, including the lids and rings).   
• Lids - thin, flat, round metal lids with a gum binder that seals them against the top of the jar.  They may only be used once.
• Rings - metal bands that secure the lids to the jars.  They may be reused many times.
• Jar grabber (to pick up the hot jars) 
• Lid lifter (has a magnet to pick the lids out of the almost-boiling water where you sanitize them. ($4 at mall kitchen stores and local "big box" stores, but it's usually cheaper online from our affiliates)
• 1 large pot.
• Large spoons and ladles,
• Jar funnel ($3-Grocery stores, like Publix, Kroger and Safeway and local "big box" stores; sometimes even hardware stores)

Directions

Step 1 - Get things prepared

The dishwasher is fine for the jars; especially if it has a "sanitize" cycle.  I get that going while I'm preparing everything else, so it's done by the time I'm ready to fill the jars. 

Be sure to let it go through the rinse cycle to get rid of any soap!

Lids:  Put the very hot (but not quite boiling; around 180 F, steaming water is fine) water for at least several minutes. 

Note: everything gets sanitized in the water bath (step 7) anyway, so this just helps to ensure there is no spoilage later!)

Fill the water canner to 2/3 full with water and getting heating on the stove.

 

Step 2 - Selecting the tomatoes

It's fun to go pick your own and you can obviously get better quality tomatoes!  

At right is a picture of tomatoes from my garden - they are so much better than anything from the grocery store. And if you don't have enough, a pick-your-own farm is the pace to go!  At right are 4 common varieties that will work:

Top left: Beefsteak	Top right: Lemon Boy, yellow
Bottom left: Roma, paste-type	Bottom right: Better Boy

The picture at left shows the best variety of tomato to use: Roma; also called paste tomatoes.  they have fewer sides, thicker, meatier walls, and less water.

Also, you don't want mushy, bruised or rotten tomatoes!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 3 - Mix and heat the seasoning ingredients

Put the garlic, wine, wine vinegar, water, sugar, basil, oregano and balsamic vinegar in a pot and

bring it to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring occasionally.

Then reduce the heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes or until garlic is heated through.

And then remove from the heat.

 

Step 4 - Chop the tomatoes

Chop the tomatoes into 1/2 (1 cm) sized cubes. Best are Roma / Paste / Plum tomatoes but you can use Beefstake... I wouldn't recommend tiny cherry tomatoes, they are too watery. you will need about 9 cups of chopped cored tomatoes

 

Step 5 - Fill the jars with tomatoes

Fill the jars with the cubes tomatoes leaving 1/2 inch headspace

 

Step 6 - Add the Vinegar seasoning liquid

Ladle the hot vinegar mixture over tomatoes, leaving a 1/2 inch headspace. Free any trapped air bubbles and wipe the jar's rim

 

Step 7 - Put the lid and rings on

Put the lid and ring on, seat the lid and hand-tighten the ring around them.  

Be sure the contact surfaces (top of the jar and underside of the ring) are clean to get a good seal! 

 

Step 8 - Process (boil) the jars in the canner

Put them in the canner and keep them covered with at least 1 to 2 inches of water. Keep the water boiling.

 

Process the jars in a boiling-water bath for:

Step 9 - Done

Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight)  You can then remove the rings if you like, but if you leave them on, at least loosen them quite a bit, so they don't rust in place due to trapped moisture. Once the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed verifying that the lid has been sucked down. Just press in the center, gently, with your finger. If it pops up and down (often making a popping sound), it is not sealed. If you put the jar in the refrigerator right away, you can still use it. Some people replace the lid and reprocess the jar, then that's a bit iffy. If you heat the contents back up, re-jar them (with a new lid) and the full time in the canner, it's usually ok.