Old Fashioned Canned Tomatoes. A great easy tutorial & recipe so you can capture the taste of Summer and enjoy during the Winter months!

Good Old Fashioned Canned Tomatoes. Oh boy! This is a wonderful family recipe, passed down through the generations and of course, when you can your own tomatoes, you get to lock in all the flavors right away!
The uses of canned tomatoes are endless! Use as a base for chili, pasta bakes, tomato soup, Spaghetti Bolognese, or have with a breakfast of sausages, bacon and eggs. The sky's the limit!
Here, JoJo has shared her very old family recipe for good old fashioned canned tomatoes, which she remembers doing together with her grandma when she was a child. Whilst tomatoes are cheap, in abundance and at their tastiest toward the end of Summer, then it's time to capture the goodness and can some, so at least come those Winter months, you can still have a taste of goodness and great tasting tomatoes.
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This recipe is very easy, the only thing you really must be sure of is to make sure your jars are sterilized properly in order for the food within to keep bacteria free over the coming months. So let's see how we can make Grandma's Old Fashioned Canned tomatoes!

Recipe by JoJo Lanthier and various sources, see end of recipe for further details.
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Yield
Makes 1 pint mason jar (simply multiply ingredients for however many jars you wish to make.
Ingredients
4 - 5 Tomatoes
½ Teaspoon Salt
1 Fresh Basil Leaf
1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
Just simply multiply the ingredients for how many jars you wish to make.
Instructions
1. Place the tomatoes in a bowl of boiling water for a couple of minutes. Then drain.
Use a sharp knife to pierce the skin then peel the skins, cut the tomatoes into quarters over a bowl (to catch any juice) and remove the stem part.
2. Place the tomatoes into pre-sterilized jars together with a basil leaf, ½ teaspoon of salt, and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Fill the jars ¾ full with the tomatoes. Using a wooden spoon, push down gently on the tomatoes to remove any excess air bubbles.
Then any excess juice you may have from cutting the tomatoes, add to the jars, leaving ½ inch of space at the top.
Instructions on using Mason Jars for canning
NOTES:
You can also add some other herbs or peppers etc in with the tomatoes, but I like to make them plain and then add extras when I am going to cook a meal.
Canning Guide

1. Fill the hot boiled jars with the ingredients as outlined above. Leave a space of about ¼ inch (0.5 cm) of top of jar. Wipe jar rim removing any food residue. Centre hot sealing disc on clean jar rim. Screw band down. Place jars back in the canner (boiling pot).

Ensure that all jars are covered by at least one inch (2.5 cm) of water. Cover canner and bring water to full rolling boil before starting to count processing time. At altitudes up to 1000 ft (305 m), process – boil filled jars – 40 minutes.
2. When processing time is complete, turn stove off, remove canner lid, wait 5 minutes, then remove jars without tilting and place them upright on a protected work surface. Cool upright, undisturbed 24 hours; DO NOT RETIGHTEN screw bands.
3. After cooling check jar seals. Sealed discs curve downward and do not move when pressed. Remove screw bands; wipe and dry bands and jars.
Store screw bands separately or replace loosely on jars, as desired. Label and store jars in a cool, dark place. For best quality, use home canned foods within one year.

Note : I boil by jars before and after. Also altitude is important.
This is the altitude chart for guidance, Click HERE to see it.
The ingredients proportions are from Bernardin. The jars come with a little recipe book sometimes and fruit proportion has been taken from there as well as some of the boiling instructions.
NOTE: Please be aware that recipes shared by readers of this page are not endorsed, checked or tested by Lovefoodies. Always follow USDA home canning recommendations.

We'd love to hear from you and what you thought of our post. Did you make any changes or add some other goodies? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!
Recipe Card

Old Fashioned Canned Tomatoes
Old Fashioned Canned Tomatoes. A great easy tutorial & recipe so you can capture the taste of Summer and enjoy during the Winter months!
Ingredients
- 4 - 5 Tomatoes
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Fresh Basil Leaf
- 1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Place the tomatoes in a bowl of boiling water for a couple of minutes. Then drain.
- Use a sharp knife to pierce the skin then peel the skins, cut the tomatoes in to quarters over a bowl (to catch any juice) and remove the stem part.
- Place the tomatoes in to pre - sterilized jars together with a basil leaf, ½ teaspoon of salt and a squeeze of lemon juice. *** Fill the jars ¾ full with the tomatoes. Using a wooden spoon, push down gently on the tomatoes to remove any excess air bubbles. Then any excess juice you may have from cutting the tomatoes, add to the jars, leaving ½ inch of space at the top.
- Wipe jar rim removing any food residue. Centre hot sealing disc on clean jar rim. Screw band down. Place jars in the canner (boiling pot). Ensure that all jars are covered by at least one inch (2.5 cm) of water. Cover canner and bring water to full rolling boil then reduce heat to a simmer and start the cook time for 40 minutes.
- You may need to place a clean cloth on the base of the cooking pot to stop the jars from 'shaking' during simmering.
- When processing time is complete, turn stove off, remove canner lid, wait 5 minutes, then remove jars without tilting and place them upright on a protected work surface. Cool upright, undisturbed 24 hours; DO NOT RETIGHTEN screw bands.
- After cooling check jar seals. Sealed discs curve downward and do not move when pressed. Remove screw bands; wipe and dry bands and jars. Store screw bands separately or replace loosely on jars, as desired. Label and store jars in a cool, dark place. For best quality, use home canned foods within one year.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1 JarAmount Per Serving: Calories: 112Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1089mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 7gSugar: 16gProtein: 5g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate
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Doris
says:Hi Mary, you sound like an amazing woman! Thanks for the lesson on canning tomatoes! I have just canned my first 3 quarts! I’m not going to reveal my age but I am older than you! Now that I’ve retired I’ve begun gardening for the first time in my life, so I hope to be doing more of this canning thing. Can you tell me if it’s possible to make spaghetti sauce (with mostly tomatoes) and can it in a water bath canner?
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Doris and we’ll dine with your first canning.
You can of course make a spaghetti sauce and can it. So long as you follow the canning instructions to make sure they’re correctly sealed etc you shouldn’t have a problem. Have fun in your retirement!
Ethel
says:For once the recipe doesn’t say you need 30 lbs. of tomatoes! I have a small garden and this recipe allows me to do a few jars at a time. Thanks so much.
Tina
says:I really loved reading your post on how to can tomatoes the old fashion way! This sounds exactly like my granny’s recipe. This is pretty much the same way I learned from her. Great writing!!
Kathleen Bowman
says:I made this and the tomatoes separated.. I have about a inch of just the juices in the bottom of my jars. Are they ok? Other than that they look great and sealed properly.
EA CAMPBELL
says:They are fine. It’s normal. Every canning is different. I’m sure it’s great.
Maureen
says:Do you have to store the salt and juice in or just put on top?
Jackie Shier
says:What is the purpose of the lemon juice?
Hayley
says:I believe the lemon juice raises the acidity making it safe to then use a water bath canner instead of a pressure canner
Reba ivey
says:Why do some of my jars pop their seal after a day or two and are the spoiled
robert turriff
says:can you do the same with a pressure caner i dont have a water bath caner
Sandee
says:I followed your recipe and it was quick and easy! My concern comes from the fact that u have 2 different process times listed. At top of blog, it says to process 10 minutes, let sit in water 5 minutes and remove to cool. In the printable recipe it says to process 40 minutes, let sit in water for 5 and remove to cool. Did I miss something to decide which process time to use?
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Sandee,
Thanks so much for bringing this to my attention. The time should actually be 40 minutes, (that is a general time when canning, particularly if canning meat products etc). However, if you chose the 10 minute instruction, that will be absolutely fine for the tomatoes.
I’ve updated the recipe so it says 40 minutes.
Sorry for the confusion, and please enjoy the tomatoes!
Celeste
says:Your pressure canner works as a water bath canner. Don’t use the gauge and don’t tighten the top like you would it’s a pressure canner.
Liz
says:This recipe ned in my crockpot. :( make sure to start this early in the morning so you’re not cooking overnight like I did. I got up at 5:30 (after 10 hours on low) and half was burnt. Not so happy.
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Liz,
I’m sorry to hear about your tomatoes. I am not sure what exactly you did as the recipe does not mention anything about using a crock pot?