HELP - Need pressure canner/cooker

[spence]

Does anyone in Tiverton (or surrounding areas) have a pressure cooker/pressure canner I could borrow for a few days? I've got a hundred pounds of Roma tomatoes looking for a home. I really don't want to go buy one.

Your kindness could be rewarded in plugs

thanks - spence

[Backbeach Jake]

Spence, just blender and freeze. Works beautifully!! Pressure cooking just reduces cooking time. If you're really set on cooking(oh yeah 100 lbs.) just cook them longer. If you're canning, make sure the jars are hospital clean and the lids pop down. Try Joy of Cooking for basic canning protocal. We just blender and freeze at our house tho. Fool(me) proof.

[Crafty Angler]

Me and Mrs. Crafty used to can cases of tomatoes - it's not that hard but it takes a while -

Boil water in a large kettle and drop in the tomatoes for a minute maybe - then plunge into cold water and remove skins.

There are blue porcelain canning pots you can get at Wallyworld or Agway with a rack that fits inside - wash your Ball jars, plunge into boiling water to sterilize and remove with rack and use tongs to empty them. Fill hot jars with tomatoes stuffing them down with a wooden spon and fill to brim to get the air out. Put on lids and screw down caps and let cool -

It's been a while, but that's pretty much it - the full directions are on the Ball Jar cases - follow them explicitly.

I'll tell ya, there's nothing like making a sauce in February and having tomatoes that taste like you just picked 'em fresh -

Good luck.

Anyway, Agway in Portsmouth will have the Ball jars and info - not that expensive - be SURE everything is properly sterilized - botulism can occur if it's not done properly -

[spence]

Thanks gents...

I ended up just stewing them and reducing to a thick sauce. Should be able to get them to fit in the freezer I believe.

100 pounds is now about 4 gallons and it smellllllss good

-spence