Wow Ann, tough spot, tough questions. You are absolutely right about the added lemon juice. It doesn't matter if it's "a fancy heirloom tomatoe" or a hybrid. A tomato is a tomato. The acidity borders on 4.6 (+/-). That's right on the bubble for being ok to can. That's why the lemon juice should be added to make sure the acidity is there to make it safe. If the tomatoes taste sour add a tablespoon of sugar or jam to what you are cooking (after opening the jar).

I too have played Russian roulette when I thought a friends canning methods with tomatoes might be questionable. She canned spaghetti sauce. I know onions and garlic were added (that would lessen the acidity). I also know wine was added (that would raise the acidity). It's a tough spot to be put in.

Low acidity vegetables should be pressure canned. If canned correctly, if think you're correct in not needing to cook an extra 10 minutes, but would like the experts opinions. Most fruit is high acidity and can be canned in a boiling water bath. Again if done correctly, it should be fine.

In those circumstances I wouldn't hesitate to eat the tomatoes.

But it can be worse. We have friends who still can beans using the open kettle method. I will not eat beans at their house, and have let them know so in no uncertain terms.

If the tomatoes are pressure canned, the added acidity is not needed.

Ann - I wouldn't fret too much over the tomatoes. As booberry stated, if he uses a pressure canner then the acid isn't even necessary. I posed a similar question to our local extension director years ago. He never adds anything to his tomatoes either.

The tomatoes are not pressure canned, they are boiling water bath canned. I do not know how long he processes them, although I might ask.

But, now that you brought it up ... I thought that even when pressure canned the toms need added acid? The BBB says to add lemon juice.

Ann

As I understand it (I am not a master canner), the purpose of a boiling water bath is to create a vacuum seal. It does not kill any bacteria. Therefore, you either need to can high acidic foods or add the acidity to the foods. For pressure canning, your not only creating the vacuum seal but you are also killing the bacteria that may exist in your food. Thus, no added acidity is needed.

I only have a boiling water bath canner, so I always add the lemon juice when canning toms.

Ann, that is a question that I have posed more than once. If the Ball Blue Book lets me can tomatoes and zucchini together without added acid, why do I have to add acid to just plain tomatoes if I pressure can them? I was finally told that I didn't have to add the additional acid if I processed them for the amount of time used for the tomato and zucchini mixture, that the pressure canning time for tomatoes was set using the extra acidity. I just pressure can for the extra time, I don't want the acid in the tomatoes.

As for your friend's tomatoes, it doesn't matter whether he is using hybrids or heirlooms, too many things affect a tomato while it's growing. Temperature, type, soil, a zillion things. I agree with Booberry, any tomatoes that I have used a ph paper on are about 4.6, whether they are hybrids or heirlooms. Nonetheless, I'd have eaten the dinner. My choice, my chance. I'd be a lot happier if I knew they were properly processed, but I'd still eat them.

Like gardenlad, though, those waterbathed green beans are completely off limits, I'd never consider touching them, or the home canned goods of people I don't really know. Every time I see homecanned things on sale at the local Amish farmer's market, I cringe. Not because I think they are unsafe but because I just don't know.

Annie

You still need to add the bottled lemon juice to pressure canned tomatoes.
Here is the link below,other extension sites say the same thing. We discussed this at the office here. Yes, you still need the bottled lemon juice or citric acid in tomatoes in the pressure canner. That is taken into account with the processing times.

I don't know what I would do with eating dinner there. Were they cooked well ?? I wouldn't want to eat them if they were not boiled or cooked really well.

Some sites say you need to boil low acid foods for 10 min. before tasting them. I have been told lately that if you KNOW they were properly canned, you don't have to boil them first. I open my pressure canned beets and eat them on salads w/o cooking them first.
This one says boil first:http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09348.pdf

Here is a link that might be useful: National Center for Home Food Preservation.

Thanks all. I will eat the tomatoes and stay away from any green beans I'm not sure of!

booberry - a boiling water bath will kill some bacteria, but not botulism spores. The pressure canner will kill botulism spores. As I understand it, the low pH will kill the spores. This shouldn't be so hard for me - I am a microbiologist! Just not a food microbiologist.

Linda Lou - OK, I will still add lemon juice. That was what I thought. Yes, the tomatoes were cooked well, so ....

But, as for the boiling after opening. I just made the marinated peppers. I don't plan to cook those at all. They were not pressure canned, just BWB, according to the recipe. Would this be something you would cook before eating?

Thanks,
Ann

No, Ann, pickled and marinated foods are different than simply canned ones, they are not cooked before eating.

Well, I do know some people who fry dill pickles, but I'm not one of them. LOL

Annie

Whew! I am relieved, I didn't think I really wanted to cook these peppers.

I'm with you on the fried dill pickles.

Ann

Cooking that tomato sauce for a long boiling may help to ease your mind as to its safety. With tomatoes, the acidity is just borderline for most. Even the amount of acid we add, will not usually affect the flavor, but will greatly improve safety. Suggest that you ask him to try and add a half teaspoon of baking soda to his opened canned tomatoes if he dosn't like all that extra added acid in the beginning. In that way, he will be using the proper amount of acid in the beginning, and then nutralizeing it somewhat after opening the jar. Baking soda is sodium, which is a salt, and has the ability to lower the acidity a little when its being served. If you don't want that lemon flavor, you can use granulated citric acid instead. People also put a bit of sugar in a prepared sauce (dare I say Prego?) to cut the acidity some.