After a few months, the tomatoes acidifed with cider vinegar had rich tomato flavor and pleasing acid balance. Note that the flavors mellow (like most pickled or acidified products) after 4 to 6 weeks, so it’s best to test your canned products after several weeks. As expected, tomatoes canned with commercial cider vinegar and bottled lemon juice had altered flavors. Added sugar tended to overwhelm the tomato flavor making the canned tomatoes a less than optimal ingredient in some recipes.Ĭanning tomatoes with citric acid powder produced very good tomatoes with no competing flavors. For each type of acid, I found that the canned tomatoes without sugar tasted slightly better. This paste-type tomato is very sweet when fully ripe. In all jars, I used the same batch of locally grown, field-ripened San Marzano tomatoes. Last year, I canned pint jars using each of these three types of acid, with and without sugar. You must use commercially bottled lemon juice because the pH of fresh lemon juice fluctuates.
Bottled lemon juice (a type of citric acid) is readily available in grocery stores.You must use commercially bottled vinegar with known acidity strength of at least 5 percent (50 grain). Commercial vinegar (5 percent or higher acidity) is available in any grocery store.Vinegar or lemon juice may be more readily available. Citric acid powder (food grade) is available from suppliers selling natural foods, nutritional supplements, and candy-making supplies.The following acids are available to increase the acidity (lower the pH) in tested canning recipes when canning tomatoes safely at home: This is why tested canning recipes are the only safe way to can foods at home. Other ingredients in canning recipes such as sugar, salt, liquids other than water (tomato liquid), and the ratio of solids to liquid also influence water activity.
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A wis a measurement of the free water on a molecular level, or the water that is available for food-borne microorganisms to grow. Water activity is not the same as water content. In addition, something called water activity ( a w) influences the canning process. For one thing, the pH of a food fluctuates from one variety to the next (plum tomatoes versus beefsteak tomatoes, for example) and within a specific type (green, mature, ripe, or overripe tomatoes). You cannot determine a safe acidity level by simply testing the pH when canning tomatoes or any other food you must use tested canning recipes. High-acid foods have a relatively low pH of 4.6 or less. Baking soda solutions have a pH around 9, and household ammonia has a pH of 11 to 12. Tap water has a pH near 7 (neutral), while rainwater is around 6 (slightly acidic) and seawater is around 8 (slightly alkaline). A pH of 0 to 6 is acid, 7 is neutral, and 8 to 14 is alkaline. Therefore, acidity is determined by measuring the potential hydrogen, abbreviated pH. If there are more hydroxyl (OH–) ions, it is alkaline or basic. If there are more hydrogen (H+) ions, the solution is acidic. When ingredients dissolve in water (H20), they produce ions H+ and OH–. You must use a tested canning recipe that has determined the amount of acid to add in order to increase the acidity by lowering the pH to a safe level below 4.6. Tomatoes are a medium-acid food with a pH in the range of 4.5–5.2. When canning tomatoes safely at home, be sure to use tested canning recipes that add citric acid, vinegar or lemon juice.
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