How to Preserve Diced Tomatoes Two Ways

It’s that time of year when the tomatoes are all ripening and it’s time to start preserving. What better way to preserve the harvest than to can up some diced tomatoes. Diced tomatoes are so versatile and can give you a taste of summer in the middle of winter.

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Having fresh tomato products on the shelf is such a blessing! There are no preservatives, the taste is fresh, and you have the satisfaction of putting it all up yourself.

Usually, my go to is salsas and spaghetti sauce, but this year I over planted my tomatoes with hopes of putting up a great deal of tomato products.

Now that I’ve done it myself, I couldn’t believe how easy it is to preserve diced tomatoes. I can’t believe I waited so long to do so!

Now, in my bit of research in learning the process to preserving diced tomatoes, I found there are a couple of ways you can do this. I chose the easier, less involved route and my diced tomatoes turned out beautifully. However, I will lay out both steps for you and let you decide what will work best for your kitchen.

Remember: your kitchen, your rules!

Why preserve diced tomatoes?

You may be wondering why someone would take the time to preserve diced tomatoes when tomatoes at the store are fairly inexpensive. Not to mention you can already purchase them diced and ready to use.

Well, the simple answer when it comes to all of my canning is that I know exactly what went into the jars when I preserved the food.

When you home can your own food, there is nothing in the jars you don’t want to be. There are no additives, no chemicals, no fake “food”, hard to pronounce ingredients. Just simple, real food.

Another great reason to preserve diced tomatoes is the fact that you have food readily available and all the prep work that goes into dicing tomatoes for recipes is already done. Just pop the lid off the jar and you’re set! That’s my favorite reason for canning meat, for the convenience!

Preparing diced tomatoes

When choosing tomatoes you are going to use to preserve diced tomatoes, you want to be sure you are picking close to ripe, if not super ripe, tomatoes.

Feel free to use whatever variety of tomatoes you have ready or are able to purchase. Most importantly, don’t feel pressured to only can what you grow! Utilizing farmers markets, sales, or even an overflow from a friends, neighbors, or family members garden will give you food to store.

Personally, I opted for a variety of tomatoes as I had an abundance of Cherry Chadwick, grape, and extra large slicers on hand.

Once you have your tomatoes, you will want to start by giving them a good wash. You can fill your sink with lukewarm water and a good sprinkle of baking soda. Be sure there is no dirt or pesky bugs on or within the tomatoes.

Now, the next step you want to take is up to you and based on your preference.

You can simply core and dice your tomatoes after washing and put in a large stock pot to cook down.

OR

You can core the tomatoes and put them in a boiling pot of water for 30-60 seconds. Promptly remove and place in an ice bath. This process will allow you to remove the skin of the tomatoes. After the skins are removed you can then dice them and place in a large stock pot and cook down.

Either way, once you have diced your tomatoes, you will want to bring them to a boil and then reduce the heat to a good simmer. Allow the tomatoes to simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

How to preserve diced tomatoes

While your tomatoes are cooking, get your jars, rings, lids, and water bath canner ready to fill.

I like to have my water bath going at a medium to low heat while I’m preparing jars so the water is about the same temperature as the jars when they go in. This prevents any temperature differences between the liquid, jars, and water therefore preventing cracked jars.

Remember: Hot jars, hot canner. Cold jars, cold canner.

After cooking down your tomatoes for 45 minutes, remove from heat and start filling your jars. In each jar, add one tablespoon of lemon juice, and fill with your tomatoes. You will want to leave a half inch headspace when filling your jars.

Once filled, wipe the rims of your jars well with a damp cloth or paper towel, you can also you a bit of vinegar on the cloth. Place your lids and rings on the jars, finger tight. Do not overtighten or your lids will buckle while processing.

Place your jars in a water bath canner with at least an inch or two of water above the jars and bring the water to a rolling boil.

When the water is a rolling boil, place your lid on the canner and set your timer for 40 minutes for pints and 45 minutes for quarts.

After the time is up, turn off the heat and remove the lid. Leave the jars in the canner for 5 minutes before removing and letting rest on a towel on the counter or table top for 12-24 hours. Do not remove the rings for at a minimum of 12 hours.

How to use diced tomatoes

A question you may have, and I have received, is how to use your diced tomatoes.

Personally, I use these diced tomatoes in soups, stew, chili, crockpot recipes, etc. I often purchase diced tomatoes for recipes such as my taco soup recipe. I also like to add them to taco meat using chicken or ground beef and my homemade taco seasoning.

Another great option would be to use these diced tomatoes in salads. I would recommend draining the tomatoes some beforehand.

Really, any way you would use a freshly diced tomato, you can use these preserved diced tomatoes.

How long are preserved diced tomatoes good for?

As with any home canned product, you will want to periodically go through your cantry and check lids and seals. As long as there are no odors, discoloration, or the obvious, a loose lid, these tomatoes will stay good on the shelf for at least two years.

Some rebel canners say that home canned food is good until you open the jar. I on the other hand like to err on the side of caution and say two years.

But as always: your kitchen, your rules.

Happy canning,