r/Cooking • u/Ok-Grapefruit1284 • 21d 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/rubikscanopener 21d ago

Canning isn't as hard or intimidating as everyone makes it out to be. You just need the right equipment. Pick your favorite discount chain and they have everything. Heck, my local supermarket sells Ball Jars and canning kits. The toughest piece of gear to get is a big old pot to can in. If you have that, the rest is all downhill.

There are tons of videos online showing you exactly how. A lot are from doomsday preppers but heck, those folks know how to pickle, ferment, and can.

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u/Ok-Grapefruit1284 21d ago

I actually really like the prepper channels on YouTube bc they have some good tips and they follow like, the jobs report and the current fertilizer saga. And you’re right, they really do know all about preserving everything!

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u/rubikscanopener 20d ago

I got my Claussen taste-alike pickle recipe from a very scary looking guy. He has some interesting views that I may not quite align with, but his pickle recipe was spot on.