Yield: Four pints

Canning Cherry Tomatoes (Two Simple Ways!)

Canning Cherry Tomatoes (Two Simple Ways!)

Canning cherry tomatoes in two ways: raw pack and hot pack.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Processing Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

  • Cherry tomatoes (see notes)
  • Citric acid or bottled lemon juice
  • Non-iodized salt (optional)

Instructions

  1. Before you start prepping your tomatoes for canning, go ahead and fill your water bath canner with enough water to cover the jars that you are going to use by about an inch. Set it on the stovetop, cover the canner and bring the water to a boil. Also, wash your jars, lids, and bands in hot water and soap. There is no need to sanitize them, they just need to be clean.
  2. Raw pack - wash your tomatoes well in cold water. Pack the jars tight but make sure to leave about an inch of headspace. To each pint jar, add 1/4 teaspoon of citric acid, or 1 tablespoon of bottled lemon juice. To each quart jar, add 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid or 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice. If you choose to add salt, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to each pint jar or 1 teaspoon of salt to each quart jar.
  3. Add boiling water to each jar leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Use the bubble remover to scrape the inside of the jar and remove air bubbles. Then use a damp paper towel to clean the rim of the jar. Center the lid and close the jar with the band finger tight. Your raw pack cherry tomatoes are ready for processing in the water bath canner.
  4. Hot pack - Wash the tomatoes well and add them to a pan with a little bit of water. For five cups of small cherry tomatoes, I added one cup of water (just to give you an idea). Set the pan on the stovetop and turn the heat to medium-high. Bring the tomatoes to a boil and let boil for five minutes before turning the heat off.
  5. Use the canning funnel and a large spoon to scoop the hot tomatoes and their juice into the jars. Make sure to leave 1/2 inch of headspace. To each pint jar, add 1/4 teaspoon of citric acid, or 1 tablespoon of bottled lemon juice. To each quart jar, add 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid or 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice. If you choose to add salt, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to each pint jar or 1 teaspoon of salt to each quart jar.
  6. Use the bubble remover to scrape the inside of the jar and remove air bubbles. Then use a damp paper towel to clean the rim of the jar. Center the lid and close the jar with the band finger tight. Your hot pack cherry tomatoes are ready for processing in the water bath canner.
  7. Set the jars of cherry tomatoes on the rack of the water bath canner. Lower the rack to the boiling water, cover the canner, and process quart jars in the boiling water for 40 minutes and pint jars for 35 minutes. Remember to adjust processing time according to the table in the notes if you live above 1000 feet in elevation.
  8. Once processing time is over, turn the heat off and uncover the canner. Let the jars rest in the hot water for five minutes before removing them. Use the jar lifter to remove the jars from the canner and set them on a kitchen towel on the kitchen counter to cool overnight.
  9. Once your jars have cooled completely check that they are all sealed before storing them. Wipe the jars and remove the band since it usually rusts over time and makes it hard to open the jar later. Store your jars of canned cherry tomatoes in a dark and cool place like a pantry for up to 18 months.

Notes

To give you an idea, I was able to pack a cup and a half of Matt's Wild tomatoes (marble size) in each pint jar in the cold pack method or two and a half cups of cooked tomatoes in a pint jar in the hot pack method. The advantage of the hot pack method is that you can pack more tomatoes in each jar.

Adjust processing time according to the table below...

Frequently Asked Questions...

  1. Does it matter what kind of cherry tomatoes I’m canning?
    No, you can follow this tutorial to can any kind of cherry tomatoes even black ones, or orange ones, or yellow ones or cherry tomatoes in different shapes.
  2. Is processing time the same for raw pack and hot pack?
    Yes, the same processing time for both methods. 40 minutes for quarts and 35 for pints. Remember to adjust if you live higher than 1000 feet in elevation.
  3. My tomatoes are sour, do I still need to add acid before canning? Yes, just a little bit to make sure that they’ll last on the shelf for a long time.
  4. Can I season my tomatoes?
    I
    t’s better not to because when we start adding different ingredients we change the levels of acidity. When you do that, you might need to process your tomatoes in a pressure canner instead of in the water bath canner as I do when canning stewed tomatoes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1 pint jar

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 10Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 146mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g

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