Fresh tomatoes for 2 years, without vinegar: the foolproof method to make them last that long

Preparing tomato preserves is very simple and requires very few ingredients. You will no longer have to buy them at the supermarket during the winter.

Canned tomatoes are great for fresh dishes like spaghetti with basil sauce or for dressing any dish  . They will come in handy at any time of year even when tomatoes are not in season and will allow you to use homemade ingredients without resorting to peeled tomatoes bought at the supermarket.

Summer is the perfect time to preserve tomatoes that will be consumed throughout the year, but there is a method that will allow you to make them last up to two years. To make tomato preserves you don’t need much, just patience, fresh tomatoes, preferably from your own garden, and lots of basil.

To obtain a good tomato preserve, the degree of ripeness of the tomato and the type of tomato are important  . This will determine the flavour of the preserve, so if you are not an expert, it is better to ask your greengrocer for advice. A little trick is to make the sauce for the preserves a couple of days after buying the tomatoes.

You can tell that the tomatoes are ripe right from the stem, when the stem can be easily separated from the rest of the tomato. It is also important to always check before consuming them that the jars in which the tomato sauce was stored have remained unchanged during storage time.

They must maintain the same flavour, colour and smell. If only one of these aspects is not met, it is important not to consume the tomato preserve and therefore throw it away.  Another important aspect is the sterilisation of the jars where the tomato preserves will be stored.

Tomato preserves: here is the recipe

Preserving jars of tomato jam is not easy, but it doesn’t take much to achieve it. You can keep them for up to two years without adding vinegar. Here is the recipe for some excellent tomato preserves:

Ingredients for 3 2L jars: 

• 7 kilos of tomatoes
• basil as needed
• boiling water to sterilize the jars

Times:

• Preparation time: 15 minutes
• Cooking time: 30 minutes
• Shelf life: 2 years

Preparation  :

• Cut the tomatoes into slices and blend. You will obtain a puree that you should put into the saucepan where it will be left on the heat until it starts to boil.
• While it is on the heat, use a ladle to remove the foam that forms on the surface. Boil for a couple more minutes and then turn off the heat.
• Prick the tomatoes with a fork and then place them in glass jars previously sterilized in boiling water. Then fill the jar with the tomato puree obtained.
• Finally, to cook them, simply fill a saucepan with boiling water and place the cans of tomatoes inside, sealed with a lid, to create a vacuum. Store them in a cool, dry place.

It is important that the jar is tightly sealed and vacuumed, otherwise the tomatoes will not last 1 or 2 years. This is a great way to always have homemade preservative ingredients on hand. It takes very little to make them and you will always have tomatoes available whether for a quick spaghetti or to season your dishes!