I’ve just pulled my first batch of canned tomatoes out. I did everything as instructed, but have a few concerns. I got all the air bubbles out before putting the jars in the bath, but now there are a bunch of bubbles. I assume that those are steam, and the are working themselves out. There’s also a layer of water at the bottom. What’s up with that?
Is the layer of water inside the jars? If so, it’s the clear part of the juice of the tomatoes. I think the homegrown tomatoes I have used for canning are juicer than the ones the commercial canneries use.
The bubbles will work themselves out. Tomatoes are really watery, so you don’t have to worry about trapped air like you do in something like applesauce. The layer of water at the bottom is also because of all the water in tomatoes. The tomato floats (you may have noticed this) so there will be liquid at the bottom. It’s really hard to pack the tomatoes as tightly in home canning as they do in commercial canning.