I would throw that cook book away. Even my Kerr home preserving book from the 1950s has longer processing times.

If it has been less than 24 hours, you could reprocess the tomatoes, but you may be better off processing them.

Before you re-process, please spend some time reading the processing instructions on tomatoes at the NCHFP site. The processing times all vary based on how you pack your tomatoes - hot or raw, whole or crushed, with water or juice.

Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP Tomato Link

darla,

It is confusing, isn't it? The recommendations change over the years as testing makes clear what is 100% completely safe.

It's kind of like baby cribs. A baby crib from the 1970s wouldn't pass safety standards today, right? But most babies from the 1970s slept in them perfectly well. But there were some dangers, and some accidents that led to tightening the safety standards. Just so, most people who eat tomatoes following those old rules are fine. But there is the small possibility of toxins that could make people very sick. If you follow the new rules (adding lemon juice and processing longer), then there is NO chance of that---the acid and heat will kill any toxins in case they are there.

It's not a problem with sealing. The short processing time is enough to seal. It's a question of making sure that if there happened to be botulism toxin present, it's all been killed. Unfortnately, you can't see or smell or taste it.

The good news is that you can reprocess your tomatoes today with the new guidelines and they'll be 100% guaranteed safe! Open the jars, put them back into the pot, and follow the guidelines pixie lou sent you the link to.

OR if you don't want to or don't have time to do that, you could put the jars into the fridge or the freezer and they'll be perfectly safe. Botulism can't grow in the cold. (It only grows in room temperature vaccuum sealed environments.)

If you don't do anything, but just leave them and then eat them, it would be a good idea to be sure to cook them for at least 10 minutes of real boiling after you open them---that can also kill toxins.

If you do nothing and just eat them when you want, you'll be as safe as most tomato-canners were in the 1970s. But to be 100% safe, follow the new guidelines.

Good luck!

Zabby

It has been awhile since I looked at my old edition of Putting Food By (the 2010 edition is now available) but I 'think' you'll find you misunderstood or misread the processing times in the book.

I used to use that book extensively for years and I sure don't recall any 10 mins. processing times for tomatoes except for pressure canning them.

If you like the book otherwise then it is worth investing in the new edition.

Dave

Thanks everyone for all your advise. I'll be reprocessing them as soon as I get off the computer.

Dave check out the 1973 edition of Putting food by on page 53 at the bottom half of the page. It's under hot pack which is what I did. I should pick up the new edition because I prefer that book over my stocking up 11 book. Too much foo foo stuff in that book. It's much more user friendly too me.... Thanks again everyone.

1973 - WOW! that is an old one. 2 new editions since then and umpteen revisions in the guidelines. Time to pitch that one or relegate it to the "collectors" shelf. Usual recommendation for canning safety is no books older that 10 years max. ;)

Dave

Yeah, I am going to have to look at mine for date.
I don't recall a 10min for maters either.

Bout time they revised that book, was the bible for many years.

Looked, mine is 1988 revised. Has longer HWB for maters.

I did peruse my 1940's Ball Blue Books, now those are confusing, as they treated whole maters Open Kettle, just like other fruits, but sauces they have 30 to 45 for HWB.

You may have a 1st Edition Putting Food By, maybe a collectible.

i have been using *putting food by* for years and years and for quarts, it says to process them for 45 mins, pints 35 ... nowhere did i see 10 mins ...

also, it calls for 2 TBS lemon juice or 2 TBS white vinegar per quart ... half that for pints ....

i might combine some of the bottles and put them in freezer bags, freeze for later ... you don't need to change the acidity for freezing ....

hth .... darlene