Description

If processing tomatoes with citric acid or lemon juice is not part of a home canner's tomato-canning procedures, it's time to update that home-canning information. Tomato-processing procedures have changed over the past few years due to the lower acidity found in today's varieties. The latest research-based recommendations from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are contained in USDA's Complete Guide to Home Canning and include processing some packs of tomatoes up to 100 minutes in a boiling-water bath at some Wyoming altitudes. Check the Home Canner's Questions in this fact sheet for the correct amount of lemon juice or citric acid to add to tomatoes.