Bottled Garden Tomatoes
Print recipe
| Prep time | 1 hour |
| Cook time | 45 minutes |
| Total time | 1 hour, 45 minutes |
| Dietary | Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian |
| Meal type | Breakfast, Condiment, Lunch, Main Dish, Side Dish, Snack, Soup |
| Misc | Child Friendly, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold, Serve Hot |
| Occasion | Barbecue, Birthday Party, Casual Party, Christmas, Easter, Formal Party, Halloween, Thanksgiving |
| Region | British |
| By author | Karen S Burns-Booth |
This bottled tomato recipe calls for any glut of garden tomatoes you have available - I have bottled beefsteak tomatoes, tomatoes en grappes, plum tomatoes and cherry tomatoes successfully with this method.
Ingredients
- Tomatoes
- Lemon Juice
- Caster Sugar
- Sea salt
- Seasonings and herbs of your choice
- Clean jars with appropriate sealing rings or screw caps
Note
This bottled tomato recipe calls for any glut of garden tomatoes you have available - I have bottled beefsteak tomatoes, tomatoes en grappes, plum tomatoes and cherry tomatoes successfully with this method.
Directions
| Step 1 | Have a large bowl handy and a kettle for boiling water. |
| Step 2 | Score the bottoms of the tomatoes with a knife into a cross shape and then in small batches, put the tomatoes into the bowl and pour over boiling water. Allow the tomatoes to sit in the water for 2 minutes, then pour the water away and skin the tomatoes, peeling them where the cross was cut into the base. Discard the skins and then chop finely, for chopped tomatoes, or cut into quarters. You can also bottle the tomatoes whole if you wish. |
| Step 3 | Put 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, 2 teaspoons of sea salt and 1 teaspoon of caster sugar in the bottom of a 0.5 litre jar. (Use less lemon juice, salt and sugar if using smaller jars, or more for larger jars) |
| Step 4 | Pack the tomatoes in tightly, leaving a 2.5cm (1”) gap at the top, so the tomatoes and juice does not seep out during preserving. Add sprigs of herbs at this stage along with any seasonings you are using such as chilli pepper, smoked paprika, garlic granules etc. |
| Step 5 | If your tomatoes are not very red, you can mix a tablespoon of tomato purée with boiling water and pour some into the packed jars. |
| Step 6 | Seal the jars and clip them down, if using the rubber sealing method, and place them into the steriliser. Fill the steriliser with water (to the correct level), turn it on and set the temperature for 100C (200F) and the processing time for 45 minutes. Process for the correct time and leave to cool in the water until the water is cold. Check the seals to make sure they have formed a vacuum; if any jars are not sealed, process again. |
| Step 7 | Please note, if using a large saucepan or the oven bath method for this recipe, the same time and temperature applies. |
| Step 8 | Tomatoes preserved this way will keep for up to 2 years or more, in a cool, dark and dry place. |
