Canning Heirloom Tomatoes: Buy Local, Eat Happy!

I've always loved tomatoes, but this summer the farmers at the Fulton Street Farmer's Market have turned my passion into obsession.

I think we foodies can agree that there aren't very many things in life more wonderful than fresh, locally grown tomatoes. Picked ripe off the vine, locally grown, seasonal tomatoes make Mexico grown superstore beefsteaks seem like painted, unflavored cardboard. Cheap imitations of the real thing.

The varieties of heirloom fruits and vegetables found at local farmer's markets offer food addicts intense flavor and variety you wouldn't dream of finding in the grocery store. Who can beat the buttery taste of German Butterball potatoes? Or the delicate, low-acid sweetness of Brandywine tomatoes?

For the past month, it's seemed like every time I go to the farmer's market I find a new tomato variety I never knew existed. Last week, I discovered Green Zebra tomatoes, which have a unique lemony, low acid tart PERFECT for spicing up eggs benny. The same farmer also introduced me to Italian Sweet Peppers, the flavor-packed, feisty little brother of red bell peppers. His cooking recommendation: cut and split the peppers, roast for 5 minutes then sprinkle with oil, salt and hard cheese. I was so enamored that I put both the tomatoes and the peppers in our eggs benny this morning. It was so successful my husband didn't even notice it was vegetarian.

Fresh, local Green Zebra tomatoes and Italian Sweet peppers. Good luck finding these heirloom varieties at the grocery store!

Sure, locally grown produce has grocery store produce beat in the flavor department hands down, but there are some other important differences. Small-scale, local farms have far greater crop species diversity than large agribusinesses, which rely on monoculture. Not only is higher species diversity better for the environment; it also fosters a much healthier environment for the plants, allowing farmers to use fewer herbicides and pesticides. Most small local farms are either mostly or entirely organic, even if they're not certified. Grocery store produce is either certified organic (and obscenely expensive) or not, and there's no way of knowing how produce was grown; at farmers' markets, you can speak directly with the farmer him or herself.

Another huge benefit of feasting on local heirloom varieties: you can feel 100% confident that what your eating is completely GMO free.

Why should we care about all these things? Simple. When it comes to food production and consumption, two crucial factors are at stake: 1) the environment, and 2) our bodies. Agribusiness' large-scale monoculture and use of GMOs has been proven to devastate ecosystems (look at the dust bowl), and the consumption chemical pesticides and GMOs has lead to a host of documented and undocumented illnesses, from diabetes to gluten intolerance to cancer. Don't take my word for it - do the research yourself. Pick up Indian economist Vandana Shiva's book "Stolen Harvest", or watch agroexpert Michael Pollan's nonfiction film "the Botany of Desire".

Saying you have a passion for promoting healthful, local agriculture is one thing, but doing something about it is another. So this year, I've decided to literally put my money where my mouth is by investing in a pantry full of fresh, local canned goods. My hope is to can enough produce to replace any canned goods I might buy in the grocery store over the winter. I'm a huge fan of pizza, stews and tomato sauces, so tomatoes are an important item on my list.

With so many heirloom varieties available at the market, I felt it would be a shame not to can with heirloom tomatoes. I chose Brandywines, for their low-acid sweetness, and Golden Jubilees for their mellow, almost nonexistent acidity. I'm already looking forward to making soups and sauces with my canned Jubilee tomatoes - imagine how pretty they will be!

For those of you who are new to canning, I'd like to assure you that it's not nearly as scary as it seems. Really. You peel, you dice, you boil, then you can. Simple!

Last night, I canned two pecks - one each of Brandywines and Golden Jubilees. One peck completely filled my largest pot and yielded 5 1/2 quarts, so plan for 5-7 quarts per peck.

What you need:

Extra large pot and lid

Wide mouth funnel

Clean canning jars in good condition (no chips around jar mouths, or jars won't seal properly)

New lids

New or used screw-on tops

Ladle

Salt

Tongs

How to can tomatoes:

Boil a large pot of water. Meanwhile, place 1 peck of tomatoes into your sink with the drain plugged. With a sharp knife, score an X into the bottom skin of each tomato. This will make it easy to peel the skin away. Once the water has boiled, pour it evenly over the tomatoes in the sink. Let the tomatoes sit in the hot water for 30 -60 seconds, or until you see tomato skins wrinkle and begin to fall away. Use the tongs to drain the water from the sink. Don't let the tomatoes sit in the hot water for too long, or they will cook, making them mushy and difficult to work with.

Remove the tomato skins by hand, then core tomatoes and cut (or pull) them into large chunks. If you have a food processor, I would recommend pureeing these chunks for a few seconds, to get an even consistency. If you don't, break the tomatoes by hand into small pieces. Place tomatoes into the large pot and bring to a boil.

Stew the tomatoes at a low simmer for 20-30 minutes, being sure to stir frequently. As the tomatoes are stewing, give all your canning jars a bath in hot, soapy water, or run them through a short cycle in the dishwasher. You want your jars to be sparkling clean and warm before canning.

Once tomatoes have cooked thoroughly, prepare your lids, screw on tops, ladle and funnel, and arrange the jars next to the pot on a clean towel. Fill each jar, leaving 1/4 inch of space at the top. Wipe the rim of the jar with a clean, dry paper towel to ensure no liquid or particles will prevent a good seal. Place the lid on and screw the tops on.

Watch the jars over the next hour or two, being careful not to press the tops down. The tops should pop down on their own after 10-30 minutes with a distinct "pop!" - this indicates the jar has sealed properly. Once jars are cool, check for unsealed jars. If some have not sealed, remove lids, thoroughly clean jar rims and lids, replace lids and reheat the jars in hot water until they seal.