When you are a novice gardener, you should choose tomatoes as one of your crops if not the main one. This plant is so easy to grow because they have so many varieties. These varieties will provide your unique needs. This plant only needs a small area to grow. They can be grown both inside the greenhouses and outside. They are so versatile that it is almost impossible for you not being able to grow them. Even when you live in a closed apartment, you can still find a way to grow the tomatoes.
This plump, delicious and juicy vegetables are simply so rewarding to be enjoyed as they can be eaten raw or processed into a meal. One drawback of the ripe tomatoes would be that they are not going to stay ripe for long. Sometimes even when you have already given out some of the harvests to your friend and family, you still have some more. They will be rotten in only a few days after being picked up. The best way to prolong their lives is by canning tomato juice.
Jars of tomato sauce ready for processing, in an outdoor setting.
Before you start with the canning process, you will have to make sure that you pick out the kind of tomatoes that are perfect for the process. This would mean that the tomatoes are at the peak of their ripeness and they look healthy. Do not choose the tomatoes with some brown or black spots. The firmness should also be at the right level. The tomatoes should never have been in touch with the frost when they were still on their vines as this would be the reason why the acidity level in the tomatoes drop to the unsafe level if used for canning purposes. It would also be better for the result if you choose the same color tomatoes.
Another useful tip would be to always add acid. To make sure that the canning products would be right, you will have to get the right level of acidity. You need to know that the varieties of todays’ tomato have lower pH and acidity level. Therefore, you may need to add some acid to the sauce by adding about two tablespoons of lemon juice for each quart of tomatoes used for the canning process. Besides, do not be afraid to try and be creative. You can add some extra flavors by using other ingredients such as zucchini or okra.
