Posted on 08/22/2013 6:11:18 PM PDT by goodwithagun
Pop lids, add juice, re-water bath? Keep as is, drop sealed jars into pressure canner? Live dangerously?
Tomatoes are pretty acidic on their own.
I think re-popping them is your best answer. You’ll lose a little bit of nutrition quality, because of reheating them. However, that’s better than a little bit of botulism. :)
Make SURE you use NEW lids!
Lemon juice? I never put lemon juice in canned tomatoes. In fact, I never even heard of it, and I’ve canned my share of tomatoes.
If it was just me, I'd pressure cook 'em the way they are. Single guys can do things like that. ;)
/johnny
USDA would say you’ll die for sure. However, if the tomatoes are old varieties known for canning or cooking, I’d risk it. Newer varieties bred for less acid flavors do need more acid. You might be happier using citric acid instead of lemon juice or vinegar, though.
Just my $0.02.
you know they didn't always add lemon juice back in the day....its a newer concept.....todays tomatoes are less acid apparently than earlier versions....
of course last year I pickled beans, using my standard pickle recipe....then I read where the vinegar really has to be in a much larger proportion so I did the beans all over again with the stronger solution......so I've been there, done that.....lol
my mother in law is an Italian immigrant (came here legally 50 years ago, took the test became American citizens)....she cans tomatoes every year and never uses lemon juice...just confirmed it with my wife who gave an emphatic “NO” to the lemon juice question...
btw, I did the beans almost right away after the first pickling....they’re weren’t sitting around....its one of my “do it first, read the instructions later” debacles...
I agree. I’ve canned thousands of quarts of tomatoes. A pinch of salt in each jar, that’s all. Never heard of this lemon juice thing, and won’t be trying it.
There is no need to add lemon juice to tomatoes in pressure canning.
If you didn’t know that, you probably don’t know how to correctly process/can food.
I’ve been canning since I was old enough to snap beans. I did not pressure can them. If you reread my post, I clearly typed re-water bath can. Thanks for the snotty post though.
Start here. http://www.pickyourown.org/allaboutcanning.htm
Did you bottle them or can them? I wouldn’t worry about it.
Tomatoes are acidic.
Can’t think why you would need to add lemon juice.
If you didn’t know that, you probably don’t know how to correctly process/can food.
Times change. So do our veggies.
/johnny
I’ve been wondering about that. I raise heirlooms, which urban legend claims have higher acid content. My grandfather converted an old chicken coop into my grandparents first home, so I’m pretty sure grandma didn’t have lemon juice or citric acid.
When you get a chance get a pressure canner. You can find them at yard sales, Craigslist, ebay. I’ve canned meats, soups, stews. At 10 to 15 lbs. PSI (depending on your altitude) It will kill anything including botulism. You don’t need to redo your tomatoes
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