Making your own stewed, diced, or whole canned tomatoes is easy as pie. Tomatoes are one of the worst foods for BPA content, since only one manufacturer in North America so far packages them without BPA due to their acidity (Eden Foods). The rest store them in cans that are lined top, sides and bottom with BPA to keep them sterile and safe.
There is another way to keep tomatoes sterile and safe, and to do it just ask your grandparents how. “Can” them in mason jars. While the majority of mason jars on the market do have BPA in the lids, the amount is tiny compared to that in store-bought tomatoes, plus the sodium content will be lower for those of us trying to eat heart-healthy.
If you want to take it all the way, the following manufacturers offer BPA-free canning jars:
Weck Canning Jars
100% glass (body and lid) with a rubber sealing ring and no lining.
Ball Canning/mason jars using Plastic Storage Caps
BPA-free, freezer grade plastic.
There are lots of guides out there on the internet for canning tomatoes, but you are better off asking a family member or following a recipe, as the sterilization part of things is extremely important and can be glossed over very easily. Here is how we do ours:
1. Pick Fresh
The best time to can your tomatoes is at the peak of their ripeness, which happens to be right now. If you can find organic tomatoes, studies have shown that they have lots more lycopene than conventional tomatoes. Try to buy from a local farmer either way.
2. Dice or Stew
For stewed tomatoes, we simply do them on a crock pot on high for a couple of hours with a few herbs and salt. For diced, we throw them in the food processor on a low setting or chop them by hand.
3. Heat
Even if tomatoes have been stewing for a while, you want to get them up to boiling to kill any bacteria. Take your stewed or diced tomatoes, throw them on a big pot on the stove, and heat until boiling, stirring constantly.
4. Jars & Lids
We boil the lids in their own pot, and the jars in another. Make sure the mouths of the jars are covered in water. We do ours by standing them up in a large, deep roaster pan, filling them with water, and boiling water in the pan as well. This covers every inch of the interior of the jars.
5. Hot, hot hot!
Use a good insulated oven mitt to empty the jars and place them on a surface to fill them once the tomatoes have reached boiling. Use tongs to remove the lids from the boiling water. Be careful, but don’t let the jars or lids cool before you place the tomatoes in them.
6. Pop
Once the jars have sealed, their lids will pop. If a good seal hasn’t formed, pour your tomatoes back into the pot, clean and rinse the jars, and start the process over again. Or just use them right away, they are good for about a week in the fridge.
Everyone has different processes that they use to can, and this is just what we do. If you have any suggestions for what works for you, leave them in our comments section.
