Canned Roma Tomatoes?

[SmokyMose]

Good afternoon!
I've been canning tomatoes from the garden for three years now and it's been pretty successful. This year I'm thinking about getting 2 or 3 Roma plants because I'm thinking the meatier
fruits might be better for sauces, however I blanch at the thought of blanching and pealing all those small tomatoes (sorry).
Anyone done it and is it worth the extra work?

 

[tropics]

I Left the skins on mine last year when I made sauce, it did not bother any of my family when they ate it.
I think they make something to go on a Kitchen Aid.
Just got back from an eye exam or I would search for it
Richie

 

[SmokyMose]

I Left the skins on mine last year when I made sauce, it did not bother any of my family when they ate it.
I think they make something to go on a Kitchen Aid.
Just got back from an eye exam or I would search for it
Richie

Thanks, Richie. I don't have a Kitchen Aid and I haven't even planted yet.
I'm going to give it a go. Rest those eyes!
Dan

 

[zwiller]

It has been a long time (before kids ) but I canned Roma exclusively. Way better for sauces for sure. The larger varieties are more or juice IMO. I tried several methods but my last method worked the best. Do it all OUTSIDE. Fire up grill, par cook, blackening the skins. Feed into Victorio strainer that removes skin and seeds. Use cajun cooker and 5G (homebrew) SS pot to process and can.

 

[SmokyMose]

It has been a long time (before kids ) but I canned Roma exclusively. Way better for sauces for sure. The larger varieties are more or juice IMO. I tried several methods but my last method worked the best. Do it all OUTSIDE. Fire up grill, par cook, blackening the skins. Feed into Victorio strainer that removes skin and seeds. Use cajun cooker and 5G (homebrew) SS pot to process and can.

Thanks! I'll have to find out what a Victorio strainer is. I don't plan to can the sauce though, just the tomatoes to make sauce from.

 

[zwiller]

Thanks! I'll have to find out what a Victorio strainer is. I don't plan to can the sauce though, just the tomatoes to make sauce from.

They are still made. Check out Facebook Marketplace and garage sales. Can be scored cheap. Canning whole?!?! That's too hardcore for me.

 

[PAS]

Try and find San Marzano tomato plants. They are a plum type with fewer seeds and very meaty!

 

[Gonna Smoke]

There was a time in the not too distant pass when I would plant A LOT of tomatoes, 60-80 plants, each year. Many, many varieties and colors, but mostly all heirloom. I was obsessed with them always trying to find the perfect tasting canning tomato or tomato combination as well as the perfect tasting slicing tomato, but I was never satisfied. I always blanched the canning tomatoes and removed the skins, it was worth the effort to me. Jersey Giants and Jersey Devils were my favorites for making sauce.

 

[smokinq13]

Do you got a sous vide? Biggest thing i learned is to use a sous vide to heat the water for blanching. Set to like 160 170 and it'll keep it a constant temp and does a perfect job! Also frees up your stovetop for cooking, doesn't take long either a couple minutes and the skin comes right off

 

[Hamdrew]

Any amount that will guaranteed be used for sauces, you can consider dehydrating, at which point you can vacuum seal.

The issue with freezing fresh is cell walls bursting from the water (freezing and expanding) which dehydrating eliminates. However, the dehydrating process will create the same flavor change (new compounds, change of flavor composition etc) as cooking. Meaning a dehydrated Roma will taste like a tomato soup sort of fruit leather.
Much easier to stow away sealed bags of very shrunken tomatoes than a bunch of jars, too!

 

[DougE]

I grow a couple Roma plants every year for salsa, pasta sauce, and I have even made ketchup from them.

Best thing I ever bought for making sauce/ ketchup is the Sauce Master. No blanching required ... just wash and shove them through. Skins/seeds come out the end of the tube, pulp/juice comes down the chute. I usually run the peels through a second time to make sure I got all the pulp out of them.

We do blanch and peel for salsa. There is a salsa screen available for the sauce master, but I haven't bought one, so I can't say how well it works. This thing is definitely the bomb when it comes to making sauce

 

[Fueling Around]

IMHO Roma or plum tomatoes are the only variety to home can.

I have an Outdoor Cooker 2 burner stove from the 90's. Don't know the brand? Called Camp Chef these days.
The #1 essential tool for for canning vegetables outdoors. High BTU burners is essential for home canning..
I scald and skin.
Press each tomato flat over a a strainer. Pack into a jar and add juice to fill jar up to the 1/2" mark.
I have very alkaline soil so I add citric acid to every jar when packing.
The excess juice gets canned as well. A bloody off home canned juice is nirvana. Moderate the salt with a dash of Lawry's and celery.

 

[DougE]

I have an Outdoor Cooker 2 burner stove from the 90's. Don't know the brand? Called Camp Chef these days.
The #1 essential tool for for canning vegetables outdoors. High BTU burners is essential for home canning..

I also have a 2 burner stove I got on clearance at Tractor Supply a few years ago for canning on the back porch.

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

This my first year trying to grow tomato. Getting lots of blooms and no fruit. About to call it quits!

 

[Gonna Smoke]

This my first year trying to grow tomato. Getting lots of blooms and no fruit. About to call it quits!

Did you do a soil sample? If planting in the ground, a soil analysis is critical. Do they get enough sun? Morning sun is best, but at least 8 hours is needed.

 

[SmokyMose]

This my first year trying to grow tomato. Getting lots of blooms and no fruit. About to call it quits!

Give them a little time. I don't plant until late May up here and start getting blooms in June but no real fruit until July and August. Then look out!

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

Did you do a soil sample? If planting in the ground, a soil analysis is critical. Do they get enough sun? Morning sun is best, but at least 8 hours is needed.

Give them a little time. I don't plant until late May up here and start getting blooms in June but no real fruit until July and August. Then look out!

I have them in 18 gallon totes. Been fertilizing every 2 weeks. Also added lime and oyster shells in soil. We been getting a lot of cold night and rain. The sun gold cherry is about at its max size now. Did not realize when I bought it only gets about 3 foot. Need to re-plant another in that one. Was hoping to find a green zebra but none to be found now. This been an usually cold year. All my pepper and herbs doing fairly well.

 

[Gonna Smoke]

I have them in 18 gallon totes. Been fertilizing every 2 weeks. Also added lime and oyster shells in soil. We been getting a lot of cold night and rain. The sun gold cherry is about at its max size now. Did not realize when I bought it only gets about 3 foot. Need to re-plant another in that one. Was hoping to find a green zebra but none to be found now. This been an usually cold year. All my pepper and herbs doing fairly well.

I've never had much success growing anything in containers, but I've probably never really put much effort into figuring it out because my garden was too big. Regardless, if you're using dirt you've dug out of your yard or even bought from a store, I simply can not emphasize enough the importance of a soil analysis. The information obtained will be the difference between huge success, mediocre success, and failure. They will tell you the appropriate fertilizer as well as application rate. When I planted my big garden, I did a soil analysis every year even though very little would change. It was $7/sample and gave me peace of mind. The number of samples needed is based on garden size.

Almost my entire garden was planted from seeds I ordered, bought from the local feed and seed, or saved from previous years. I always planted my tomatoes from heirloom seeds ordered online or from last year's crop. Seeds saved from hybridized plants bought from those big box stores that were raised in a nursery will grow, but won't bear fruit. I would start my seeds indoors and then transplant once the ground warmed enough. I quit planting my garden due to too much shade, especially morning shade, from trees that aren't on my property. Looking back at pictures from over the years, I could really see the decline in growth and production just from too much shade.

OK, I've rambled on enough. Sorry for the derail....

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

OK, I've rambled on enough. Sorry for the derail...

Yeah. I spent a lot of money on this. I do enjoy watching it. Think just stick to peppers and herbs in future. Tomato are really high at the farmers market but now I see why! Store tomato suck!

 

[SmokyMose]

I have them in 18 gallon totes. Been fertilizing every 2 weeks. Also added lime and oyster shells in soil. We been getting a lot of cold night and rain. The sun gold cherry is about at its max size now. Did not realize when I bought it only gets about 3 foot. Need to re-plant another in that one. Was hoping to find a green zebra but none to be found now. This been an usually cold year. All my pepper and herbs doing fairly well.

As long as it doesn't frost, the cold nights won't hurt them, but too much water might. They don't like "wet feet". I assume your containers have drainage...
You fertilize way more than I do. I give them a shot of Miracle Gro and compost once they've started growing and they're on their own other than regular watering.
Pick the one you think is doing the best and plant one just like it in that extra spot :-)