The harvest is in, the kitchen is steaming, and you’ve got a mountain of tomatoes on the counter. The biggest question for any home preserver is: “How many jars am I going to need?” Underestimating means running to the store with sticky hands; overestimating means sanitizing jars you won’t even use.
Our Canning Calculator takes the guesswork out of preservation. By using standard weight-to-volume ratios for common garden produce, you can accurately predict your yield in pints or quarts and even see how many trips through the canner your day will require.
Canning Yield Calculator
How to Use the Canning Yield Calculator
- Select Produce: Choose the fruit or vegetable you are processing. Ratios vary—for example, it takes nearly 3 lbs of tomatoes for a single quart of juice, but only 1.5 lbs of green beans for a quart.
- Amount (Pounds): Enter the raw weight of your produce.
Tip: If you bought by the bushel, use our helper link to auto-fill the standard 53 lb bushel weight. - Jar Size: Select Pints (16 oz) or Quarts (32 oz).
Why We Built This: Accuracy and Safety
The "Secret Sauce" of this tool is the integration of Safety Alerts. Home canning is a science, not an art. Tomatoes, while often thought of as high-acid, are frequently borderline. Our tool automatically flags low-acid foods and tomatoes to remind you of essential acidification steps (like adding lemon juice or citric acid) required by the USDA for safe water-bath processing.
Educational Guide: Understanding Harvest Ratios
When you look at a basket of produce, you aren't just seeing the final product; you're seeing the "shrinkage" factor. When you peel, core, and cook down apples for applesauce, you lose significant volume. This is why a 50 lb bushel of apples might only yield 18-22 quarts of sauce.
Planning your day by Canner Batches is equally important. Most standard water-bath and pressure canners hold 7 quart jars or 9 pint jars. Our calculator tells you exactly how many "loads" your harvest will take, helping you manage your fuel, water, and time effectively.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How many pounds of tomatoes are in a bushel?
A: A standard bushel of tomatoes weighs approximately 53 pounds and will yield between 15 to 20 quarts of canned tomatoes depending on the variety and style (whole vs. juice).
Q: Why do I need to add lemon juice to canned tomatoes?
A: Modern tomato varieties are often bred for sweetness, which lowers their natural acidity. To prevent the growth of botulism in a water-bath canner, you must add 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice per quart (or 1/2 tsp citric acid).
Q: Can I use this for pressure canning?
A: Yes! While the yield logic is the same, always remember that low-acid vegetables (like green beans and corn) MUST be processed in a pressure canner for safety.
