Best tomatoes for passata

[stella]

Talking about putting in jars and bottles what steralizing method do you use?

[chris]

I'm guessing two per pot (someone here uses those orange buckets from B&Q)?

yes, Rio Grande is only semi determinate and often carries on growing beyond a truss. the toms are so big/heavy that the plant just colapses if left to grow as a bush.
I choose 1 or 2 strong side shoots from near to the base and let them grow, tied to canes as you do a single cordon tom. Snap off anymore side shoots that try to grow.

I think It just makes them easier to control

p'haps not then Interesting... though I've had this happen to all my tomatoes that I've grown in the past - I've tended to remove the growth. May leave one on this year!

[Thelma Sanders]

I read this

Double Stem Technique

Some growers use a double stem technique on cordon varieties which allows a side shoot to grow from the lowest leaf joint and this side shoot then becomes a second vertical stem. The advantage of this is that you can grow the same amount of trusses but on a plant about half the height. This could be useful if you are growing against a trellis or wall that is not very high or your greenhouse roof is lower than usual.

on this site Pruning & Side Shoots so I tried it

[bazzaboy]

Talking about putting in jars and bottles what steralizing method do you use?

Good question, Stella. As you probably know there are basically TWO bottling processes, very similar but one involves bottling under pressure. Whether produce needs the pressure treatment to ensure safe bottling depends upon its natural acidity and tomatoes are evidently right on the edge between needing it and not needing it (opinion seems to be that standard modern tomatoes have a higher acid content so don’t need it as much as “heritage tomatoes” which generally have a lower acidity and therefore do benefit.)

Last summer I found myself in lengthy email conversations with both Lakeland and the JamJar company because the large purpose-made pressure cookers for bottling are generally not available in the UK but very common in the USA (so possible to buy from Amazon USA but carriage gets pricey). Lakeland is now such a big company it evidently takes them over a year to introduce a new line and I’m not sure I ever totally persuaded them there would be a market… JamJar might be a better bet. I’ll drop both a note and ask if they’ve had any more thoughts since last summer about supplying the purpose-made pressure units.

Meantime if you want to know more about the pressure process of bottling there are several demonstrations on YouTube.

[Thelma Sanders]

Italians ( and they're not alone) have been bottling tomatoes in hot water (no pressure) for many years, so I don't think it is a problem

I wash the jars and then heat them up in the oven like this
How to Sterilise Jars for Jams and Preserves - Sterilize jam jars

[Paulieb]

Last year I grew some Amish Paste and used them to make sauces for spag bol etc, and they were great. Didn't jar or freeze any so couldn't comment on that.

Growing them again this time, with what feels like about a hundred other varieties.

[stella]

Microwave method looks good and quick, thanks

[Bren In Pots]

Last year I grew some Amish Paste and used them to make sauces for spag bol etc, and they were great. Didn't jar or freeze any so couldn't comment on that.

Growing them again this time, with what feels like about a hundred other varieties.

I grew Amish Paste as well last year for passata we've used the last of it out the freezer this week.

[Alison]

Good question, Stella. As you probably know there are basically TWO bottling processes, very similar but one involves bottling under pressure. Whether produce needs the pressure treatment to ensure safe bottling depends upon its natural acidity and tomatoes are evidently right on the edge between needing it and not needing it (opinion seems to be that standard modern tomatoes have a higher acid content so don’t need it as much as “heritage tomatoes” which generally have a lower acidity and therefore do benefit.)

Last summer I found myself in lengthy email conversations with both Lakeland and the JamJar company because the large purpose-made pressure cookers for bottling are generally not available in the UK but very common in the USA (so possible to buy from Amazon USA but carriage gets pricey). Lakeland is now such a big company it evidently takes them over a year to introduce a new line and I’m not sure I ever totally persuaded them there would be a market… JamJar might be a better bet. I’ll drop both a note and ask if they’ve had any more thoughts since last summer about supplying the purpose-made pressure units.

Meantime if you want to know more about the pressure process of bottling there are several demonstrations on YouTube.

There are many ways of safely preserving but some are used more often than others. With the exception of jams, pickles and chutneys it does tend to be something that we've stopped doing in the UK much which is a shame as you can preserve many other things very easily and effectively. As I've probably mentioned before I do mine in a pasturiser which works really well and is very simple. The one I have is a cheaper version of this Presses and crushers for apples, fruit and cider from Vigo. Ours was on ebay and much cheaper and it also has a juicer which you can put on top to make lovely fruit or veg juice with very easily. I also used it to bulk steam Christmas puddings last year.

[taff]

wash the jars, rinse in water, place in oven on moderate heat, leave there for 20 mins ish, put lids in boiling water until ready to fill jars [let them cool down in there].
Fill jars [with boiling passata], put lids on, listen for vacuum seal thwock/pop/clunk, job done

[stella]

What do you do if they dont pop, the seals that is?

[Thelma Sanders]

The popping only happens on jars with a dimple in the lid, but if the dimple doesn't pop or go down then store those jars in the fridge and use up quickly.

2 jars didn't seal last year and it was cos the rims had got drips of toms in them; so make sure to keep the rims and screws clean and you should be fine

[Scousemooncat]

Hi - why, if Inca were so good - are you going back to San Marzano....out of interest?

Just for a change!...never really like growing the same variety anything and the San Marzano variety seem to be heralded (by italians) as the best for sauce...

Try anything once...(like growing 5 courgette plants...) never again ;-)

[taff]

What do you do if they dont pop, the seals that is?

or take the lids off, heat up sauce again, re sterilise, and try with new lids. Only works with kilner type jars with those lids that come either in one piece [the quattro stagiorno ones] or the kilner ones in two pieces.
I wouldnt use jar lids that have already been used because the sealing part around the inside of the lid will be deformed and may not properly seal again.

[Alison]

or take the lids off, heat up sauce again, re sterilise, and try with new lids. Only works with kilner type jars with those lids that come either in one piece [the quattro stagiorno ones] or the kilner ones in two pieces.
I wouldnt use jar lids that have already been used because the sealing part around the inside of the lid will be deformed and may not properly seal again.

I'll quite happliy reuse jam jar lids as the sugar content is high enough to preserve but for things like passata I replace the disc bit every time due to the possibility of a poor seal.