---

ATTLEBORO - Kathi Gariepy started canning about 22 years ago upon moving into her Pleasant Street home with a backyard containing eight apple trees.

During apple season, she would have "every type" of apple by the bushel and box full. Her motto: When life gives you apples, make applesauce.

While her grandmother canned, her mother did not. Gariepy visited the library and read a book on preserving and canning, then talked to neighbors and others who gave her canning jars. She bought the bands and lids and ended up canning about 50 quarts of applesauce that first year.



"My fingers were brown but the house smelled really good," said Gariepy, who is a master gardener and member of the Attleboro Garden Club. She used the applesauce for applesauce cake, among other delectables. "We gave (jars) to our family, friends, anybody." People kept on giving her canning jars and she felt compelled to go on.

There was strawberry jam made from the fruit plucked from bushes in the yard, then blueberry, raspberry and blackberry jam as those berries ripened. Stewed tomatoes and bread and butter pickles made from the fresh produce from the garden are now on the table, as Gariepy continues to harvest a generous crop of Roma and other varieties.

She recently canned several jars of tomatoes in her kitchen to show a reporter how it's all done.

"It's not hard, it just takes some planning," Gariepy said as she monitored the pots and peeled tomatoes.

With the growth of home vegetable gardening this spring and summer, in part because of the high cost of food, preserving fruit and veggies is yet another way to save money in the coming months.

Canning also makes sense because produce like tomatoes can come in much faster than can be eaten, Gariepy said. "There's only so many tomatoes you can use, only so many salads you can eat."

Preserving your produce "is a way to keep what you planted, what you grew, what you harvested, for a little while longer," she said, adding that people like to get preserves as gifts.

Gariepy preserves stewed tomatoes versus tomato sauce because "it's much easier and quicker." She then uses them, over time, in lasagna or tomato sauce.

Want to give canning a try? Gariepy offers the following advice:

You'll need canning jars, either quart or pint size, depending on your needs. Gariepy has found jars at yard sales but make sure there are no cracks or chips in the jars and wash them before use. You can purchase bands and rims to seal the jars. Have several pots on hand - a large pot to scald the tomatoes, a medium pot to heat the tomatoes, a small pot to sterilize the lids and a huge pot to sterilize the jars once they are filled. Complete canning sets can also be purchased at stores, including many supermarkets. Have several large bowls at the ready. About 20 pounds of tomatoes makes seven quarts.

Allow for about a half day's time to do the stewing and canning.

Gariepy prefers Roma tomatoes because they have more "flesh," so when you open it up and cut it there are fewer seeds and juice. And, "Roma tomatoes are so prolific right now," she added. Other varieties of tomatoes can be added to the mix. She added a few "Better Boys."

Put the tomatoes in about 1 quart of boiling water and cook until the skin cracks (usually no more than a minute). Then remove tomatoes and put into a bowl of water, giving them an "ice bath." This makes it easier to take off the skins. Peel off the skin and take out the cores. Slice into quarters.

Put tomatoes back in a pot on the stove on medium-low heat so that they don't totally break down - just enough to be hot. Remove the tomatoes from the hot water.

Sterilize the jars and then the lids and rings (or bands) in boiling water before pouring the now stewed tomatoes into them. Unless you know how many jars you're going to use, do not put in more bands and rims than you need (the thin, flat, round metal lids have a gum binder that seals them against the top of the jar and can only be used once).

Gariepy prefers to add a little sea salt and ground pepper to the tomatoes before pouring. "People can do a variety of things depending on what they want them for." Gariepy said if she cans whole tomatoes, she usually adds a bay leaf from the garden in the jars.

Use a plastic funnel that fits into the mouth of the jar, spooning to just about the edge of the funnel end in the jar. (Don't use a metal funnel because it will affect the taste.) After the bands and lids are sterilized in hot water and the tomatoes are in the jars, place the lid evenly on top and screw the band on so that a tight seal is created.

Once the jars are filled, put them in a "hot bath" - a pot of boiling water rising about an inch over the top of the jars - for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the jars. (Tongs with rubber grip ends can be used.)

To make sure the seal is secure each time you get ready to use a jar, test the lid. It should be sucked down and not be springy or pop up and down (when it cools it forms a vacuum seal). Keep the jars in a cupboard in a cool and dark place. You can use them immediately, or enjoy them a couple of months later - when you've had enough of winter weather and start contemplating what you will be planting in your vegetable garden next season.

SUSAN LaHOUD can be reached at 508-236-0398 or at slahoud@thesunchronicle.com.