I canned tomatoes for the first time today (raw packed and processed using the boiling water method). I added 1/2 a teaspoon of citric acid and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt to each quart jar, then filled each jar with halved peeled tomatoes. I wasn’t able to get all the air out prior to processing because I didn’t want to squish the tomatoes down so much that I destroyed them. I did leave 1/2 an inch of head space (probably closer to 1 inch in all honesty). Then I processed in a boiling water bath for 85 minutes. All four of the jars have sealed. Is the amount of empty space at the top of these two jars an issue?
by kaitlyn_d10
6 Comments
It’s totally normal to have tomato separation. It’s caused by an enzyme when the tomato is cut and you need to process it a particular way in order to avoid it.
https://www.healthycanning.com/tomatoes-separating-jars#:~:text=Separation%20is%20caused%20by%20an,)%20to%20destroy%20the%20enzyme.%E2%80%9D
Yup. If you want totally full jars, you really do have to squash them in.
It is normal, but you can avoid it by slowly boiling your tomatoes, start with about a third of your tomatoes, bring to a boil, then slowly add remaining tomatoes, a few at a time, keeping the boil going.
I just did this for the first time yesterday and am glad they look similar to what I’ve got on my shelf
85 minutes? That sounds excessive. Are you at a higher-than-sea level elevation?
Yes tomatoes do that.