How long will homemade canned tomatoes last if I forgot to add lemon juice before canning?

Question

How long will homemade canned tomatoes last if I forgot to add lemon juice before canning?

Answer 1

if you have already sealed them up, they will be fine, just put a note on the top of them with some kind of sticky tape so you will remember you need to add the juice if you want to when you go to use them.

Answer 2

adding lemon juice before canning tomatoes increases the acidic content of the tomatoes. They are acidic enough to start with.

My grandmother taught me to always poke a hole in any canned goods or commercially canned goods before attempting to open the container. Whether it was a can or a jar did not matter. She always took the ice pick and poked a hole in the center of the lid.

If it sucks in air it is good and you can eat it. If it blows air out it should be dumped in the trash immediately. It is very easy to tell which it is doing as when blowing it spews a bit of the contents out on the top of the lid.

Always use this method to test home canned foods or any canned goods that have been in your cabinet or pantry for more than 6 months.

I label every thing when I bring it home with the date I put it in the pantry. That way there are no guessing games as to how long I have had anything.

Answer 3

If you used a pressure canner, AND correctly followed safe and tested directions, AND possessed appropriately for the jar size and your altitude... then yes.

If you tried to process them in a waterbath canner, then the bad news is NO. This is a food safely issue because without the added acidification, your jars aren't processed correctly... providing the perfect home for all the bad little nasties that thrive in low acid food.

If it was within the first 24 hours the tomatoes can be reprocessed with the extra acid, and starting over with clean jars and new lids. Or they can be repacked for the freezer, or stored in the fridge and used within a few days.

Answer 4

Check out this website for information on canning tomatoes...

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can3_tomato...

I have to disagree with people claiming that tomatoes are acidic enough by themselves.  Ripe tomatoes aren't really that acidic... that's why the ripe red tomatoes are always prized because they are sweet not acidic/sour.

The National Center for Home Food Preservation (USA), recommends 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice.  Acidity of freshly squeezed lemon juice varies depending upon where it was grown and the conditions picked.

How long they last canned without the juice?

You really can't tell... it all depends upon cleanliness and the method you used to can the tomatoes.