The Absolute Best Type Of Tomato For Canning

Tomatoes are some of the most plentiful plants grown in home gardens. And although there's nothing quite like the taste you get when slicing a vine ripened tomato that's still warm from the sun, you can also enjoy them outside of their growing season. Thankfully tomatoes are an item that are not only easy to preserve, but they also preserve well, depending on the type of tomato you use, combined with the method you employ.

You can reuse tomatoes in a few ways, by putting them in the freezer or dehydrator, but as Backyard Garden Lover points out, the best flavor and texture comes from canning tomatoes. When it comes to preserving tomatoes, to yield the best results, make sure you're using the right type of method. Per Grow Veg, small cherry tomatoes are some of the best varieties for freezing while the flavor compounds in juicy Heirloom tomatoes are a good choice for dehydrating.

When it comes to home canned tomatoes, there's one variety that holds up and delivers the best flavor. Oblong-shaped plum tomatoes, such as Roma, San Marzano, and Amish Paste, are some of the most popular varieties for home canning. Because plum varieties tend to have a concentrated flavor, the fruit is typically very fleshy, and they have fewer seeds, making them an ideal variety for canning (via Delighted Cooking).

The important thing to remember when home canning tomatoes is to make sure you're using fruits that are ripe and unblemished — since fungus, molds, or other microbes can reduce the acidity of the tomato, putting you at risk of canning something that isn't safe to consume, according to Serious Eats. And the National Center for Home Food Preservation reports that adding lemon juice or citric acid is necessary to ensure the proper acidity level is reached and food safety is maintained.