Canning & Freezing Quick-Guides
Canning Fruits &
Tomatoes
In
a Boiling-Water-Bath
Canner
Bulletin #4381
Prepared by
Extension Professor Catherine Violette, PhD, RD, LD, University
of New Hampshire; reproduced with permission.
Follow
directions for hot or raw pack. Pack fruit or tomatoes into hot
jars. Leave 1/2-inch
head space except where indicated. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar
rims. Adjust lids. Process in a
boiling water bath canner.
Fruit
Preparation
Jar Size
(in boiling-water canner
0–1000 ft¹) Processing Time
Apples, sliced
Wash, peel, core, and slice
into 1/2-inch wedges. Place into anti-darkening solution.² Drain slices.
Hot pack: Put 5 lbs. of slices in pan with 1 pint water, very light,
light or medium syrup. Boil 5 minutes. Fill jars with hot slices and hot
syrup or water.
Pints or quarts
20 Minutes
Applesauce
Wash, peel, core. Slice into anti-darkening
solution.² Drain slices.
Hot pack:
Place sliced apples in large pot, add 1/2 cup water. Heat until tender.
Press through sieve for smooth sauce. Add sugar if desired: 1/8 cup per
quart or to taste. Reheat to boiling, fill hot jars with hot sauce.
Hot pack: Heat 1 pound of berries in 1 gallon boiling water for 30
seconds, drain. Fill hot jars with 1/2 cup hot syrup, juice, or water. Pack
berries into hot jars. Fill with more hot liquid.
Pints
15 minutes
Quarts
20 minutes
Fruit purees
of any fruit except figs, tomatoes, melons, papaya, ripe mango, or coconut
Stem, wash, drain, peel, and remove pits.
Hot pack:
Measure fruit into large pot, crushing slightly if desired. Add 1 cup hot
water for each quart of fruit. Cook slowly until soft. Stir frequently.
Press through sieve or food mill. If desired, add sugar to taste. Reheat
until sugar dissolves. Fill hot jars. Leave 1/4 inch headspace.
Pints or quarts
15 minutes
Peaches, apricots, nectarines
To remove skins from
peaches, dip in boiling water for 30–60 seconds or until skins loosen. Dip
in cold water. Slip off skins. Cut in half, remove pits and slice if
desired. Skin removal is optional for apricots. Don't remove nectarine
skins. Dip into anti-darkening solution.² Drain.
Hot pack: Place in boiling juice or syrup, bring to
boil. Fill hot jars with hot fruit. Place halves in layers, cut side down.
Fill with hot liquid.
Pints
20 minutes
Quarts
25 minutes
Raw pack: Fill hot jars with raw fruit, cut side down. Add hot liquid.
Pints
25 minutes
Quarts
30 minutes
Pears,
halved
Wash, peel. Cut lengthwise in half, remove
core. Place in anti-darkening solution.² Drain.
Hot pack:
Boil pears 5 minutes in syrup, juice or water. Fill hot jars with hot fruit.
Fill with hot liquid.
Pints
20 minutes
Quarts
25 minutes
Plums,
halved or whole
Wash. To can whole, prick
skin on two sides with fork. Freestone varieties may be halved and pitted.
Hot pack: Add plums to hot water or syrup. Boil 2 minutes, cover
saucepan, let stand 20–30
minutes. Fill hot jars with hot fruit and cooking liquid or syrup.
Pints
20 minutes
Quarts
25 minutes
Raw pack: Fill hot jars with raw plums, pack firmly. Add hot water or
syrup.
Pints
20 minutes
Quarts
25 minutes
Rhubarb,
stewed
Select young, tender stalks. Trim off leaves.
Wash, cut stalks into 1/2- to 1-inch pieces.
Hot pack:
Add 1/2 cup sugar to each quart rhubarb and let stand until juice appears.
Bring to boil. Fill hot jars without delay.
Pints or quarts
15 minutes
Tomatoes,
crushed (with no added liquid)
Wash tomatoes. Dip in
boiling water 30–60
seconds or until skins split. Dip in cold water. Remove skins, core.
Quarter.
Hot pack: Heat about 1 pound of the quarters quickly in large pot,
crushing them with a spoon as they're added to pot. Continue heating. Stir.
Once boiling, gradually add remaining tomatoes, stir constantly. Remaining
tomatoes don't need to be crushed. Boil gently 5 minutes. Fill hot jars with
hot tomatoes. Add 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon
citric acid to each quart jar (1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice or 1/4
teaspoon citric acid to each pint).
Pints
35 minutes
Quarts
45 minutes
Tomatoes,
whole or halved (packed in water)
Prepare tomatoes as above. Leave whole or
halve.
Hot pack:
Place in pot, cover with water, boil 5 minutes. Fill hot jars with hot
tomatoes, add hot cooking liquid to cover. Add bottled lemon juice or citric
acid to jars (above).
Pints
40 minutes
Quarts
45 minutes
Raw pack:
Fill hot jars with raw, peeled tomatoes. Add boiling water to cover
tomatoes. Add bottled lemon juice or citric acid to jars (above).
Pints
40 minutes
Quarts
45 minutes
1
Altitude Adjustment:
For altitudes of 1,001–3,000
feet, add 5 minutes to processing time.
2Antidarkening
Solution: Mix one teaspoon or 3000 mg of ascorbic acid into
one gallon of water. Commercially prepared mixes of ascorbic are
also available in supermarkets. Follow the manufacturer's
directions. Hold small batches of fruit in the solution until ready
to use. Drain thoroughly.
General Instructions
Preparing and using syrups
Measures of
Water and Sugar for 9-pint load (or 4-quart load)
Type of syrup
Sugar
Water
10% (very light)
1/2 cup
4 cups
20% (light)
1 cup
4 cups
30% (medium)
1 3/4 cups
4 cups
40% (heavy)
2 3/4 cups
4 cups
50% (very heavy)
4 cups
4 cups
Procedure:
Heat water and sugar together. Bring to a boil and keep hot
until ready to use. Adding syrup to canned fruit helps retain
flavor, color,
and shape. It doesn't prevent spoilage
of these foods.
Canning
Fruits Without Sugar: Select fully ripe but
firm fruits of the best quality.
Prepare fruit for hot packs as described above but use water or
regular unsweetened fruit juices instead of sugar syrup. Juice
from the fruits being canned is best. Blends of unsweetened
apple, pineapple, and white grape juice are also good for
filling over solid fruit pieces.
Adjust head spaces and lids and use processing recommendations
given for regular fruit.
Adapted from E. Andress, J.
Harrison. So Easy to Preserve. Fifth Edition.
University of Georgia Cooperative
Extension bulletin 989, 2006.
Brand names are included for
educational purposes. No
endorsement is implied nor is
discrimination intended against
similar products.
Published and distributed in furtherance of Acts of Congress of May 8 and June
30, 1914, by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, the Land Grant
University of the state of Maine and the U.S. Department of Agriculture
cooperating. Cooperative Extension and other agencies of the U.S.D.A. provide
equal opportunities in programs and employment.
Call
800-287-0274 or TDD 800-287-8957 (in Maine), or 207-581-3188, for information on
publications and program offerings from University of Maine Cooperative
Extension, or visit extension.umaine.edu.
Last
Modified:
12/17/09
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