Canning Tomato Juice Then and Now…from Mrs. Crumly’s unpublished writings.

NOTE: So sorry for the delay in getting new post up everyday. Donna and Beth are back full force in their jobs (as should be) and life is pulling us all in so many different directions at this time. I will do my best at getting a new post up everyday now. Some days are just not so good for me with my MS. So we all THANK YOU again from the bottom of our hearts that you are keeping this web blog going by your daily counts of well over 1000 hits a day. THANK YOU ALL OVER THE WORLD…….

It’s five gallons of tomatoes we’re having to deal with this morning and I can’t help but be reminded  of how we used to do this job.  First water for washing tomatoes was drawn from the well and put in a wash tub which sat on the  back porch.  A fire had been built in that old wood range to cook breakfast and been kept going just for this purpose.If the tomato was badly covered with grit it was wiped first and then put in the wash water. While this is being done water drawn from the well and “toted in” was heating on the top of the range.  The freshly washed tomatoes were put in the largest dishpan available and carried to the kitchen where they were scalded with the hot water heated on the wood range.  Now comes the job of peeling.  Next the tomatoes are cored and quartered.  All this in a dishpan was put back on the range to cook.  Remember stove wood had to brought in to keep the fire going.

When the tomatoes were done, they were strained through a flour sack to remove the seed and meat – thus leaving juice.  This juice was again put on the range and heated.  A skillet was on the stove, too.  It had hot water where the jars were set so they would be hot to receive the hot juice.  Back then we used zinc lids and there was a red rubber ring that had to be put on the jar before the lid.  We put one teaspoon of salt to each jar and when the lid was screwed on very tight the can was turned upside down so it would seal.

Today we didn’t have wipe grit because we’ve had such little rain.  Our tomatoes were washed in the sink and then put in a dishpan for scalding.  All we had to do to heat the water was turn the faucet on, set the large container of water on the electric stove and turn the switch. Tomatoes still have to be cored, peeled and cooked, but now we have a hand juicer that helps with the straining even though its hand operated.

We still go through the same canning procedure today, but water does not have to be drawn or wood brought in. We use a canning funnel when filling the jars and use metal flats held on by metal rings for sealing.  I still a teaspoon of salt to each jar.

Clean up is a big job and you know, today’s surface units are not made for canning — they always have to be cleaned following the canning.  I cannot understand how they can get in such a mess, but anyway it’s country living.