Best heirloom tomato varieties for canning & preserving?

Why Heirloom Tomatoes are Perfect for Preserving

There’s a special kind of magic that comes with opening a jar of home-canned tomatoes in the dead of winter, a burst of summer sunshine and flavor that simply can’t be replicated by store-bought alternatives. Heirloom tomatoes, with their incredible diversity in taste, texture, and color, are the undisputed champions of the canning world. Unlike their hybrid counterparts, heirlooms offer a depth of flavor, often lower water content, and a meatiness that translates into superior sauces, pastes, and diced tomatoes. Choosing the right variety is key to achieving canning success, ensuring your efforts yield delicious results every time.

Top Heirloom Paste Tomato Varieties for Sauces & Pastes

When your goal is a thick, rich sauce or a hearty paste, low-seed, meaty varieties are your best friends. These tomatoes have less water, making them easier to cook down and resulting in a more concentrated flavor.

• San Marzano: Hailing from Italy, this elongated, pear-shaped tomato is the gold standard for sauces. Its low acidity, balanced sweetness, and easy-to-peel skin make it a dream for canning. Many purists claim nothing else compares for a true Italian-style sauce.
• Amish Paste: A large, oxheart-shaped heirloom with dense, meaty flesh and few seeds. Amish Paste tomatoes are celebrated for their rich, robust flavor and excellent performance in sauces, salsas, and pastes. They are incredibly prolific, offering a bountiful harvest for preserving.
• Opalka: Another fantastic elongated paste tomato, Opalka boasts a vibrant red color, exceptional flavor, and very few seeds. Its low water content means less cooking time to achieve a thick consistency, making it a favorite for those aiming for quick, flavorful sauces.

Best Heirloom Slicers for Diced & Crushed Tomatoes

For general-purpose canning, like diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, or a chunkier sauce, larger heirloom slicers bring incredible flavor and body. While they may have more water than paste varieties, their intense taste makes them worthwhile.

• Brandywine (Pink/Red): This iconic beefsteak tomato is renowned for its exceptional, complex flavor. While juicy, its dense flesh holds up well when diced or crushed for sauces, adding an unparalleled richness that elevates any dish.
• Mortgage Lifter: A large, often pinkish-red beefsteak with a fascinating history, the Mortgage Lifter is a gardener’s favorite for its incredible yields and superb flavor. Its meaty texture and well-balanced taste make it excellent for a wide range of canned tomato products.
• Black Krim: Originating from Crimea, this unique dark-colored heirloom offers a slightly smoky, earthy flavor that adds a gourmet twist to your preserves. It’s fantastic for creating a distinctive crushed tomato or sauce that stands out.

Tips for Canning Heirloom Tomatoes Successfully

Preserving heirlooms requires a little attention to detail to ensure both safety and optimal flavor.

• Use Ripe, Unblemished Fruit: Always select firm, fully ripe tomatoes free of bruises or mold. Quality in equals quality out.
• Peeling: Most canning recipes call for peeled tomatoes. Blanching tomatoes in boiling water for 30-60 seconds, then immediately transferring them to an ice bath, makes the skins incredibly easy to remove.
• Acidity is Key: Heirloom tomatoes can vary in acidity. For safe water bath canning, it’s crucial to add bottled lemon juice or citric acid to each jar. For pints, add 1 tablespoon of bottled lemon juice or ¼ teaspoon of citric acid. For quarts, use 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice or ½ teaspoon of citric acid. Do not substitute fresh lemon juice, as its acidity can vary.
• Processing Time: Follow tested recipes for processing times for whole, crushed, or diced tomatoes. Adjust for altitude as necessary.

Conclusion: Preserve the Flavor of Summer

Embracing heirloom tomato varieties for your canning and preserving projects is a delightful journey into the rich tapestry of gardening history and culinary tradition. By choosing the right varieties, you’re not just putting food in a jar; you’re preserving the vibrant flavors of summer, creating pantry staples that will bring warmth and a taste of the garden to your table all year long. Experiment with different types, find your favorites, and enjoy the rewarding experience of transforming your harvest into delicious, homemade treasures.