writes:

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.

Open kettle or hot water bath? I've not talked with anyone that canned
tomatoes open kettle; that was usually such things as jams and jellies as
well as pickles.

Interesting.

Glenna

writes:

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.

The flavor likely depends on the particular heirloom. If you try Black
Russian, Black Krim, or any of the others of that ilk, you'll
unquestionably see a difference. They are a very sweet tomato and have no
comparison that I've found in the "regular" tomatoes. Only the Sun Golds,
etc., are as sweet.

You are correct in that some don't taste much different, or so has been my
observation, but there are others that are heaven! There are many that I
wouldn't bother with again, but others that I would fight for.

One of my favorite potlucks was when I took a platter of sliced tomatoes!
There were green (striped), red/yellow striped, orange, black,
yellow,pink, and, of course, red tomatoes. I included enough of each
variety that everyone could have at least one slice of each. There were
the usual comments about the green ones, "These aren't ripe, are they?"
which brought skeptical looks when answered, "Yes, they are ripe." What
great fun!

Glenna

Open kettle or hot water bath? I've not talked with anyone that canned
tomatoes open kettle; that was usually such things as jams and jellies as
well as pickles.


Open kettle i.e the tomatoes are cooked before placing in the can, Hot water
bath usually refers to cold pack. Open kettle was the favorite method of the
older generation (my mother was born in 1894) and I still prefer them.