Re(2): tomato acidity
 

Re(2): tomato acidity
 

Glenna Rose wrote:

writes:
I've never heard that tomatoes didn't have enough acid to justify open
bath
canning. I've canned many different types (red only) and never gotten
sick.
The only thing I've heard is that the yellow tomatoes are a LOWER acid
than
red tomatoes. I think all tomatoes contain acid.

If you're still uncertain, why don't you contact Ball or Kerr and ask
them?
These are two manufacturers of canning supplies and I'm sure they must
have
some reference somewhere that indicates unsafe practices. Good luck and
let
us know what you find.

Actually, the new Ball canning book I purchased is where I read that lemon
juice needs to be added as there is no guarantee that today's tomatoes
have enough acid. They made no reference to a particular type of tomato
but included all in their recommendation.

The canning tomatoes directions indicates hot water bath (Pages 24-25 with
drawings). The directions for canning tomatoes include "Add 2 tablespoons
of bottled lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon citric acid to each quart jar." I
didn't like doing it as it seemed likely to affect the taste of the
tomatoes but I did it anyway . . . it was not noticeable in the canned
product. Even if it had been, it certainly would be worth keeping my
family healthy.

Ball Blue Book, Guide to Home Canning, Freezing & Dehydration, Copyright
1995, 1997, 1998, 1999.

For questions, call (800) 240-3340

BTW, it says nothing about adding salt (or anything else) to tomatoes when
dehydrating (Page 106).

Hope this helps.

Glenna
Thanks Glenna, Penny and Pat. I have that BBB and also printouts from the
government canning people (too lazy to walk into the livingroom to verify
the name of the web site) but, since my parents never added acid I was
wondering why -I- need to. The last time I brought this up I was told that
it was because of the choice of varieties. I thought I'd try once again to
smoke out the names of the varieties that are acceptably high in acid that
no additional acid is required.

I am growing / preserving Mortgage Lifters this year. This variety has been
around for quite a while. I am growing them in very nice soil. What would I
have to do to get the acidity levels in the tomatoes to an acceptable level
for canning?

In other words, if my parents could do it, why can't I?

Bill

--
Zone 8b (Detroit, MI)
I do not post my address to news groups.

tomato acidity
 

Noydb wrote:
Glenna Rose wrote:


writes:

I've never heard that tomatoes didn't have enough acid to justify open
bath
canning. I've canned many different types (red only) and never gotten
sick.
The only thing I've heard is that the yellow tomatoes are a LOWER acid
than
red tomatoes. I think all tomatoes contain acid.

If you're still uncertain, why don't you contact Ball or Kerr and ask
them?
These are two manufacturers of canning supplies and I'm sure they must
have
some reference somewhere that indicates unsafe practices. Good luck and
let
us know what you find.

Actually, the new Ball canning book I purchased is where I read that lemon
juice needs to be added as there is no guarantee that today's tomatoes
have enough acid. They made no reference to a particular type of tomato
but included all in their recommendation.

The canning tomatoes directions indicates hot water bath (Pages 24-25 with
drawings). The directions for canning tomatoes include "Add 2 tablespoons
of bottled lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon citric acid to each quart jar." I
didn't like doing it as it seemed likely to affect the taste of the
tomatoes but I did it anyway . . . it was not noticeable in the canned
product. Even if it had been, it certainly would be worth keeping my
family healthy.

Ball Blue Book, Guide to Home Canning, Freezing & Dehydration, Copyright
1995, 1997, 1998, 1999.

For questions, call (800) 240-3340

BTW, it says nothing about adding salt (or anything else) to tomatoes when
dehydrating (Page 106).

Hope this helps.

Glenna

Thanks Glenna, Penny and Pat. I have that BBB and also printouts from the
government canning people (too lazy to walk into the livingroom to verify
the name of the web site) but, since my parents never added acid I was
wondering why -I- need to. The last time I brought this up I was told that
it was because of the choice of varieties. I thought I'd try once again to
smoke out the names of the varieties that are acceptably high in acid that
no additional acid is required.

I am growing / preserving Mortgage Lifters this year. This variety has been
around for quite a while. I am growing them in very nice soil. What would I
have to do to get the acidity levels in the tomatoes to an acceptable level
for canning?


Use citric acid crystals instead of lemon juice and it won't affect the
taste. I'm not sure the amount, but the recipe should give you that as an
option. I pressure can my tomatoes, without adding acid. If I was gonna
process them in a boiling water bath w/o adding any citric acid, I would
pick an old commercial canning variety like "Marglobe" or "Rutgers".

In other words, if my parents could do it, why can't I?


Several reasons, which interact somewhat. Grandma used the best methods
known at the time, and so should you. The USDA continually does research,
and processing methods evolve over time. Your parents also might have
processed their green beans in a boiling water bath for 3 1/2 hours. The
old methods also included boiling canned meats or vegetables (except
pickles, obviously) for 10 minutes before tasting them. Now nobody does
this, and the methods have adapted to be safe enough to eat the contents
right from the jars w/o boiling. (I'm not sure which is the cause and
which is the effect here.)

People start canning now without ever having been taught how to do it
properly, so the new recipes have an extra margin for error. Also our
society is so paranoid about germs and so quick to litigate any and
everything, I think that adds to the safety margin. I think they go
overboard with a few things, but that's just my opinion.

Best regards,
Bob

Re(2): tomato acidity
 

Thanks for the update. I hadn't heard of this. It may be a broad way for
Ball to cover a wide range of different tomatoes. As you said, some
tomatoes are being crossed with others for that perfect tomato and, in some
ways, unknowingly we are getting less acidic types.

I tried heirlooms a couple of years ago and really found no better flavor
than my Celebrity, Early Girl Improved or Better Boys. I pretty much stick
to these for their disease resistance and guaranteed good results in
production. That may be the reason why I haven't had any issues with
acidity being low. I do also grow Grape and Yellow Pear tomatoes, but these
are salad poppers and they are not a factor in the canning process.

Thanks again for the information.

Penny
Zone 7b - North Carolina
"Glenna Rose" wrote in message
news:fc.003d094101a595093b9aca002f8e0de3.1a59543@p mug.org...
writes:
I've never heard that tomatoes didn't have enough acid to justify open
bath
canning. I've canned many different types (red only) and never gotten
sick.
The only thing I've heard is that the yellow tomatoes are a LOWER acid
than
red tomatoes. I think all tomatoes contain acid.

If you're still uncertain, why don't you contact Ball or Kerr and ask
them?
These are two manufacturers of canning supplies and I'm sure they must
have
some reference somewhere that indicates unsafe practices. Good luck and
let
us know what you find.

Actually, the new Ball canning book I purchased is where I read that lemon
juice needs to be added as there is no guarantee that today's tomatoes
have enough acid. They made no reference to a particular type of tomato
but included all in their recommendation.

The canning tomatoes directions indicates hot water bath (Pages 24-25 with
drawings). The directions for canning tomatoes include "Add 2 tablespoons
of bottled lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon citric acid to each quart jar." I
didn't like doing it as it seemed likely to affect the taste of the
tomatoes but I did it anyway . . . it was not noticeable in the canned
product. Even if it had been, it certainly would be worth keeping my
family healthy.

Ball Blue Book, Guide to Home Canning, Freezing & Dehydration, Copyright
1995, 1997, 1998, 1999.

For questions, call (800) 240-3340

BTW, it says nothing about adding salt (or anything else) to tomatoes when
dehydrating (Page 106).

Hope this helps.

Glenna

tomato acidity
 

Use citric acid crystals instead of lemon juice and it won't affect the
taste. I'm not sure the amount, but the recipe should give you that as an
option. I pressure can my tomatoes, without adding acid. If I was gonna
process them in a boiling water bath w/o adding any citric acid, I would
pick an old commercial canning variety like "Marglobe" or "Rutgers".

In other words, if my parents could do it, why can't I?


Several reasons, which interact somewhat. Grandma used the best methods
known at the time, and so should you. The USDA continually does research,
and processing methods evolve over time. Your parents also might have
processed their green beans in a boiling water bath for 3 1/2 hours. The
old methods also included boiling canned meats or vegetables (except
pickles, obviously) for 10 minutes before tasting them. Now nobody does
this, and the methods have adapted to be safe enough to eat the contents
right from the jars w/o boiling. (I'm not sure which is the cause and
which is the effect here.)

People start canning now without ever having been taught how to do it
properly, so the new recipes have an extra margin for error. Also our
society is so paranoid about germs and so quick to litigate any and
everything, I think that adds to the safety margin. I think they go
overboard with a few things, but that's just my opinion.

Best regards,
Bob
Ageed : an excellent explanation.
With the exception of a couple of low acid USDA varieties which are extremely
rare all tomatoes have about the same amount of acid, The differnce is in the
sugar content. Yellows and whites have consistently the higher sugar content,
My mother canned the all (open kettle) without any problems.