My friend Scott and I canned up a case of San Marzano tomatoes yesterday afternoon and it was a cinch! It only took a few hours, happily spent in Scott's lovely kitchen, to produce 18 pints of whole tomatoes (plus a few side projects.)
Like pie crust or fried chicken, canning is one of those simple, classic kitchen skills that today's cooks are often intimidated by. And no wonder: look through almost any article on canning tomatoes and the word botulism appears at least once. But if you follow the procedure carefully, there is really little danger of poisoning yourself and your loved ones. People have been doing this for decades and have lived to tell the tale, so be mindful but try to drop the anxiety and enjoy yourself.
It was great that Scott had a dishwasher to sterlize the jars and a large canning pot on hand, but the most helpful thing we had in the kitchen was each other. Canning is a lot of fun when shared with a good friend, so find another like-minded kitchen geek and go at it!
Here's a few links that helped up out:
- There's Only One Way to Skin a Tomato
- National Center for Home Food Preservation
- Tomato Casual
- Toast: Putting Up with tomatoes
Our side projects:
A simple tomato sauce for dinner that night and Amanda Hesser's Tomato Preserves (which is still in it's resting-over-night-stage but my expecatations are high.)
How to Bake a Potato: Three Easy Methods
How To Cook Tender, Chewy Wheat Berries on the Stovetop
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
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Beth's Romantic & Retro Residence
Great minds think alike.
Please can you show us more of that gorgeous kitchen?
Yumm
Empresscallipygos: great minds indeed! What a fantastic tutorial and a good reminder that home canned tomatoes are so much better tasting than store bought.
Knittergirl: Scott's promised a kitchen tour just as soon as he puts the finishing touches on his kitchen reno (which has been 9 years in the making!)
I spent all of thursday at my parents' house, canning tomatoes with my mom. We managed 6 canner loads. I love working with her because she does all of the procedural stuff and I just peel and core tomatoes and chat. She thinks she's lucky because she doesn't have to peel.
Yesterday, I made a load of oven-dried tomatoes and a batch of tomato jam. I'm contemplating a tomato galette tonight. I love this time of year.
Empresscallipygos: great minds indeed! What a fantastic tutorial and a good reminder that home canned tomatoes are so much better tasting than store bought.
Thanks!
My mother thinks it's very impressive, but also a little weird, as no one in my family ever did any preserving and we're all wondering where this all came from. I'm also a little smug that I haven't had to buy a can from the supermarket in over a year.
May I ask where to get San Marzano tomatoes? Thought they only grow in Italy. Does New York's farmers market sell them because they are the closest big operation farmers market that I can go to. Also, How do you tell if the tomato is a true San Marzano? Thank you!
reggiesoang:
The tomatoes come from Mariquita Farms in Watsonville, CA. According to the farmer, they are a true San Marzano, grown from San Marzano seed and they grow well around central CA because the climate/longitude are similar to where they are grown in Italy.
She did not know how to tell if a tomato is a 'true' San Marzano--they have a unique shape, but then again there may be another tomato with that shape out there, too.
In the Toast link above, lindystoast says her farmer calls them San Marazano because San Marzanos are 'regional specific.'. She lives in Pittsburgh.
Maybe there are some NYC readers who know where San Marzano tomatoes are available in your area or ask around the next time you're at the farmer's market. Good luck!