Canning tomatoes can be used to make homemade pasta sauce.
Healthy and delicious, tomatoes are a fruit packed with cancer-fighting antioxidants, vitamin C and other nutrients required for a healthy diet. While it may not be possible to grow tomatoes year round due to frosty winter weather, canning tomatoes ensure tasty meals even when the vines are bare. According to Organic Hub, tomatoes with little pulp, few seeds and thick flesh are best for canning and will taste delicious even after months in the pantry.
Big Mama Tomatoes
Described as "incredibly meaty" by Burpee Home Gardens, big mama tomatoes are recommended for use in sauces and soups. A hybrid variety of roma tomato, big mamas have an oblong shape with a pointed end and are about 5 inches long, weighing 4 to 5 ounces apiece. Burpee states the tomatoes are simple to core and peel in preparation for canning and they take about 80 days to reach maturity, requiring ample sunshine and an inch of water each week. Big mamas have a sweet flavor and a dense, fleshy textures which can be used to make thick soups and sauces.
Amish Paste Tomato
The Amish paste tomato comes from Pennsylvania's Lancaster County, home of one of America's largest Amish communities. This variety of tomato was bred by local farmers over generations, according to the Natural Hub website, and has thick walls and very few seeds. According to Local Harvest, Amish paste tomatoes have a "teardrop or heart-shaped with a brilliant red-orange color" a dense, meaty flesh. Amish paste tomatoes have a flavor that balances sweet and acidic notes and may be eaten raw as well as canned.
Brandywine Tomato
The brandywine is a type of beefsteak tomato, one of the largest families of tomato and has been grown in American since the late 19th century, according to the University of Arkansas. Brandywines usually weigh approximately 14 ounces, though some can clock in at over a pound and a single slice is enough to top an entire hamburger. According to the Natural Hub, brandywines are ideal for canning as they have little watery pulp and thick, meaty walls. The fruits are soft and round with a light pink, somewhat mottled color. With a taste that's both acid and sweet, they are described by Natural Hub as "full flavor."
Big Rainbow Tomato
Big rainbow tomatoes live up to their name and are a mottled blend of red, yellow and orange both inside and out, and weighs up to two pounds. The big rainbow has a striking appearance, composed of several distinct lobes and can look like two tomatoes fused together. Described by This Garden is Illegal as "sweet and voluptuous, fruity, juicy, and rich," big rainbows have very few seeds and a meaty consistency ideal for canning.
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