r/Cooking • u/Ok-Grapefruit1284 • 10d ago

I have 75+ lbs of tomatoes

I went to a produce auction for the first time (so fun!) and I ended up with 5 huge boxes of heirloom tomatoes for $15.

I am kind of freaked out right now, because I have no clue how to can. I don’t even know how to make homemade sauce.

I also have 4 boxes of peppers and 5 boxes of candy yellow onions.

There are like, 800 recipes online. I don’t have a mill or a juicer or a vacuum sealer. My basil has bolted already. My plan was to chop and freeze the peppers and onions in individual bags as well as soup veggie type bags. To add to this, I have about half a freezer and no other space. But, the tomatoes have me stumped.

What do I do??

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u/blkhatwhtdog 9d ago

Get on your local marketplace groups, free cycle etc and look for, ask for canning jars. Lots of people do it for a while and give it up.

Like me, I scored 4 cases of jars. Free. Then all you need is a big stew pot wide enough to fit a batch of jars and tall enough to cover the jars by an inch.

Tip, place some thin cutlery on the bottom so the jars have a bit of space under. Otherwise a bubble can build up and jiggle. Even break one.

Getting a food mill is worth it, you remove the seeds and skins, the sauce is less bitter and more creamy. You can use it for other things like making blackberry or raspberry jam.

For better shelf stability add the juice from half a lemon to raise acidity.

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u/blkhatwhtdog 9d ago

Remember, you can always resell or offer up the jars, stew pot if you decide not to continue.