Canning Up Some Local Phytonutrients & Phytochemicals for Winter

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I realize that my canning stories so far have been all about fruit, but canning veggies is great too.  This afternoon I headed to a local farmers market and got tons of ripe tomatoes and red peppers, and this evening I've been canning them so I can cook with local fruits and veggies this winter. 

Here's what I canned tonight:

• roasted red peppers, in olive oil
• roasted roma tomatoes, in olive oil
• diced field tomatoes with basil

And here's how...



almost done.  maybe 5 more minutes?

Canning Roasted Red Peppers

I used 9 med-lg red sweet peppers (like in the picture above) & 8 red bell peppers.  You'll also need a bunch of olive oil (the amount really depends on how you pack your jars) and some sea salt to taste.

This produced three 12-oz jars, one 8-oz jar, and two 4-oz jars.

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Deseed the peppers and cut lengthwise into strips (~3/4-inch wide).
3. Coat in olive oil.
4. Lay out (in one layer) on a baking sheet, skin side up.
5. Sprinkle with salt.
6. Roast at 425 for ~20 minutes (time will depend on thickness of peppers), until softened and just starting to blacken in spots.
7. Add to sterilized canning jars and cover with olive oil.
8. Process jars for 10 minutes, as you would with any canning process.

10 more minutes???

Canning Roasted Tomatoes

I roasted 10 large roma tomatoes (you can roast any kind of tomato, from tiny cherry tomatoes to large field tomatoes, but be aware that the roasting time will be shorter as the size of your tomatoes/pieces gets smaller).  You'll also need olive oil, sea salt, and garlic (if you like).

This produced two 8-oz jars and one 4-oz jar, all well packed.

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Cut tomatoes into quarters (these romas were large, so I cut each of these pieces in half again).
3. Toss cut tomatoes in bowl with olive oil and salt to coat.
4. Place tomatoes on baking sheet (skin side down).
5. Sprinkle minced garlic over tomatoes -- try to get the garlic directly on the tomatoes; otherwise it will burn to the sheet (this is optional -- it's great without garlic too).
6. Roast uncovered for 1h 45min - 2 hours, depending on size of tomatoes.  Remove from oven when tomatoes begin to blacken around the edges.
7. Add to sterilized canning jars.  Cover with olive oil.
8. Process for ~10 minutes, as you would with any canning process.

Canning Diced Tomatoes with Basil

I used 9 regular-size (med-large) field tomatoes, ~2 TBSP olive oil, & 1/3 cup basil (or 1-2 TBSP dried basil).

This produced four 16-oz jars and two 12-oz jars of diced tomatoes with basil.  Can't wait to use these for making soups, stews, etc. this winter.

1. Chop tomatoes to desired size, saving all tomato juice while chopping.
2. Add tomatoes, 1-2 TBSP olive oil, and basil to large, deep pan.
3. Mix over medium heat for ~10-15 minutes to combine flavors.
4. Ladle into sterilized canning jars.
5. Process ~10 minutes, as you would with any canning process.

Eat Well.  Live Well.  Be Well.