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UNL Food: Home Food Preservation

Canning Tomatoes, Tomato Products & Salsa

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Canning Tomatoes, Tomato Products and Salsa

 
tomatoes
Photo source: National Center for
Home Food Preservation

New to canning or need a refresher course? Check our general canning information page.

Important Salsa Information: Canning your own salsa recipe or changing the proportions of ingredients in a tested salsa recipe can be unsafe — see link below. Also, salsa must be processed in a boiling water canner for safety.

If you don't have a tested recipe or a boiling water canner, you might try freezing your salsa. Be aware there may be changes in texture and and flavor after freezing and thawing. Try freezing a small amount the first time. Herbs and spices may taste better if they are added fresh just before serving. Some cooks feel that a cooked salsa freezes more satisfactorily than one frozen with raw ingredients.

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension Canning Publications

  • Let's Preserve: Tomato and Tomato Products
    UNL Extension (EC 437, 8 pg. brochure). Procedures for safely canning a variety of tomato products; includes recipes for tomato sauces, ketchups, relishes and salsas, plus recommended process times. Questions or comments about this brochure? Email the author Julie Albrecht, PhD, RD.

  • Canning Tomatoes, Tomato Juice
    Brief, 2-sided brochure including recipes from Buy Fresh, Buy Local® Nebraska and UNL Extension. Questions or comments about this brochure? Email the author Julie Albrecht, PhD, RD.

  • Salsas
    2-sided brochure including recipes from Buy Fresh, Buy Local® Nebraska and UNL Extension. Questions or comments about this brochure? Email the author Julie Albrecht,PhD, RD

Additional Canning Materials from Other Sources


The National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) offers individual recipes sheets for a variety of foods plus answers to some common questions. The Penn State flyer gives both canning and freezing information for tomatoes.

USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, 2009 revision

Penn State Canning Series (includes freezing information): Tomatoes
(2008 Update, compatible with USDA 2009 revisions to their home canning recommendations)
 

Please also see our freezing pages for more tomato recipes.

Yields

Approximate Yields for Canned or Frozen Fruits and Vegetables; Weights and Measures (Source: Clemson University Cooperative Extension) Weights of produce, such as for bushels, crates, lugs, etc (scroll down the page). They also tell the pounds of produce needed for 1 quart jar or container. NOTE: Tomatoes are in the fruit section.