by Debbie Kimmel

Yes, canning can be intimidating and scary, but there is a very easy way to start canning without pressure cookers and water bath canning! It is called the Open Kettle method. It is a perfect way to get your feet wet in the canning world without the fear of blowing up a pressure cooker. I have had great success canning tomatoes with this method. Below are the steps to can tomatoes using the Open Kettle Method:

ITEMS NEEDED:

• Tomatoes • Glass Jars (preferably Mason)

• Cookie Sheet                  • Metal Lids /Metal Rings                              

• Jar Funnel                        • 1 tsp. Non-Iodized Salt per jar

DIRECTIONS:

Place clean jars on a cookie sheet and heat in oven at 250 deg F. (20 min)

Boil lids in small pot to sterilize, pull out and dry on clean paper towels. (1min)

Boil water in large pot and blanch tomatoes for one minute and peel skin off.

Remove blemishes, and cut tomatoes in small chunks and place in large pot.

Heat tomatoes slowly at medium-low, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to medium-high till boiling.

Skim any foam off the top.

Take jars out of oven and place next to pot of tomatoes on cookie sheet or towel. Ladle hot tomatoes into hot jars using a jar funnel. Fill to an inch below top of jar. (Near the lowest ridge of the jar opening)

Add a tsp of salt to each jar.

Wipe top of jars from all tomato residue with damp paper towel so lids will seal.

Place lid and rings on each jar. Tighten down rings tightly.

Flip tomato jars upside down. Always use oven mitts to handle the jars.

After 5 minutes, flip the jars right side up and they will vacuum seal within 30 minutes- to 24 hours.

If the lids compress down, and you hear a “Ping” they have sealed. Tomatoes can be stored on the shelf for up to a year. If a lid does not seal, put in the refrigerator and use within a couple of weeks.

The trick to being successful with this method is to work fast with the very hot tomatoes and very hot jars to ensure the lids sealing. Some people may choose to do one jar at a time until they get the process down. I will do about 4 at a time so I can keep everything hot while going through all the steps. 

Safety Alert: You cannot mix foods and safely use the Open Kettle method as the mixing of the foods will alter the pH of the food and cannot safely be preserved without pressure canning. 

Just the other week I was craving some spaghetti and meat sauce but didn’t want to go to the store. Looking around my kitchen I found the ground beef in the freezer, the canned tomatoes in the pantry and the pasta in the cupboard and it was a great feeling to whip up my dinner from everything I had stored. 

Although the tomato season is over, buy some from the store and practice for next year’s summer harvest!

Debbie works a full-time job away from home; her “Home Sweet Homesteader” column includes what she is currently working on as she aspires to be a “Homesteader” in her own backyard in Greenville, SC.