Letter Re: Experience Canning and Dehydrating Tomatoes

Dear Captain Rawles:
 Each year we dehydrate and can a lot of tomatoes.  In past years we used a “Squeezo” device to separate the skin and seeds from the pulp.   A better way is to slice each tomato into about 8 slices, from top to bottom.  Then (over a sink) with one’s fingers strip out the seed pulp and seeds.  This also removes the water surrounding the seeds and pulp.  Put the slices into a blender.  Liquefy for a couple of minutes.  Pour the homogenized tomato into the stockpot to heat for canning. The homogenized skin in nutritious.  By removing the water and pulp one begins with a more concentrated product than the Squeezo produces and this greatly reduces the time required to simmer the sauce down to the desired thickness. – Les in the Smokies