How to Can Yellow Tomatoes

Things You'll Need

Citric acid or bottled lemon juice
Canning jars
Salt or sugar to taste
Tomato juice (optional)
Ice water
Knife
Pot
Tongs
Rubber gloves

Yellow tomatoes are canned the same way as red tomatoes.

Canning tomatoes is a long-practiced method of preserving the summer's bounty and ensuring a constant stream of nutrients throughout the dormant winter. Yellow tomatoes are considered to be on the borderline between a low-acid vegetable and an acidic fruit in the canning world. Yellow tomatoes are canned the same way as red tomatoes, although the finished product will reflect the color of the tomatoes canned and can add unexpected color to your winter pantry. You can can tomatoes in a cold/raw or hot pack, in water or tomato juice.

Skinning

Step 1

Wash the tomato and slice a small X on the bottom. This helps you identify when the skin is ready to be peeled off.

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Step 2

Dip the tomato in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds. You will see the skin splitting down the sides of the tomatoes or the edges of the sliced X curl up.

Step 3

Drop the tomato in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.

Step 4

Peel off the skin and remove the core to prepare the tomato for canning. You can leave the tomato whole or you can slice it into halves or pieces.

Hot Pack

Step 1

Add your acid directly to your canning jars. Use 2 tbsp. of bottled lemon juice or 1/2 tsp. of citric acid for quart jars. Use 1 tbsp. of bottled lemon juice or 1/4 tsp. of citric acid for pint jars.

Step 2

Boil the yellow tomatoes for 5 minutes in just enough liquid to cover the fruit. Use water if you are packing the tomatoes in water and tomato juice if you are packing them in tomato juice.

Step 3

Add the yellow tomatoes to the jars from the boiling liquid.

Step 4

Fill the jars with the hot liquid so there is 1/2 inch of headspace in the jar.

Cold/Raw Pack

Step 1

Add your acid directly to your canning jars. Use 2 tbsp. of bottled lemon juice or 1/2 tsp. of citric acid for quart jars. Use 1 tbsp. of bottled lemon juice or 1/4 tsp. of citric acid for pint jars.

Step 2

Add the prepared yellow tomatoes to the canning jars immediately.

Step 3

Cover the tomatoes with hot water or hot tomato juice until there is 1/2 inch of headspace. Add a pinch of salt if desired.

Processing

Step 1

Screw lids, along with their sealing rings, onto the glass jars full of yellow tomatoes and cooking liquid.

Step 2

Place a wire rack in the bottom of a large pot. Fill the pot with water and bring to a boil. Place the jars on the wire rack in the pot. Use tongs to lower them into the boiling water. The water should be higher than the height of the jars. Do not allow the tomato jars to contact the bottom of the pot; they may break.

Step 3

Boil the jars for 15 minutes if the yellow tomatoes are diced, 10 minutes if they are whole or halved and canned in liquid, and 25 minutes if you decided not to use any liquid at all.

Step 4

Remove the jars with tongs once the processing time is complete. Set the jars on a wire cooling rack to cool completely before storing.

Tip

Salt and/or sugar can be added to taste to the canned tomatoes before closing the jars.

Warning

Always use rubber gloves when moving the jars in and out of the processing water bath, due to potential burns from the water.