Pressure canning tomatoes without added acid

I'd like to pressure can tomatoes without adding acid as recommended by the USDA (and outlined here). The reason being is, imo, the additional acid ruins the flavor.

My understanding of the official recommendation is that it specifically relates to food safety for water bath canning. This is further supported by statements like this:

High acid foods can be safely canned in a water bath canner. Low acid foods may need the addition of acids like lemon juice or vinegar to acidify them enough to be canned in a water bath canner. Non acidic foods require the pressure canner.

There are many recipes for safely canning low acid foods using a pressure canner but despite the above statement and a large volume of research to support it, I've been unable to find a single authoritative recipe outlining a safe procedure for pressure canning tomatoes without acid. I did however find a plethora of other threads about this very topic with nothing conclusive and no strong consensus, e.g.:

How can I safely can tomatoes using a pressure cooker without adding any acid? Can I simply follow the procedure for canning another low acid vegetable like carrots or green beans? Like 10 lbs pressure / 25 minutes? Or maybe err on the side of safety and increase time and/or pressure?

Best Answer

According to Putting Foods By, 25th ed. (1982), you can fill tomato jars with just hot boiled tomato juice rather than requiring additional acid, and then pressure-can them:

10lbs pressure / 40 minutes for skinned whole tomatoes
10lbs pressure / 15 minutes for sliced or diced tomatoes

... with some adjustments depending on jar size.

However, their extensive (11 large pages) section on tomatoes notes that whether or not acid should be added when pressure canning is controversial.

Pictures about "Pressure canning tomatoes without added acid"

Pressure canning tomatoes without added acid - Sliced Fruits in Brown Wooden Bowl

Pressure canning tomatoes without added acid - White and Black Robot Toy on Brown Wooden Chopping Board

Quick Answer about "Pressure canning tomatoes without added acid"

10lbs pressure / 40 minutes for skinned whole tomatoes.

10lbs pressure / 15 minutes for sliced or diced tomatoes.

Can you pressure can tomatoes without adding acid?

Do I really need to acidify the tomatoes if I use the pressure canning option?\u201d The short answer to the question is \u201cYes, to ensure safety, acid in the form of lemon juice, citric acid or vinegar must be added to tomatoes that will be processed by a pressure canning option\u201d.

How Do You can tomatoes without adding acid?

To ensure safe acidity in whole, crushed, or juiced tomatoes, add two tablespoons of bottled lemon juice or \xbd teaspoon of citric acid per quart of tomatoes.

Do you have to add acid when canning tomatoes?

Regardless of the canning method chosen, you must add an acid source to the jar when canning tomatoes. What is this? While tomatoes seem acidic, they're actually right on the borderline for safe home canning. Their pH can vary considerably based on growing conditions (heat, sun, water, etc) and based on the variety.

Can You can tomato sauce without adding acid?

Four tablespoons of 5% -acidity vinegar per quart may be used instead of lemon juice or citric acid. However, vinegar may cause undesirable flavor changes. Acid is added to tomato products even if the tomatoes are pressure canned. Tested recipes have not been developed for canning tomatoes where the pH is above 4.6.

Canning Tomatoes WITHOUT a pressure cooker and No Water Bath | Useful Knowledge

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Karolina Grabowska, furkanfdemir, Kindel Media, Kindel Media