You’ve been successful at keeping them watered all summer long. You’ve staked them up, done your fair share of weeding, kept the deer and groundhogs away, picked off any dreaded hornworms, fertilized as needed, pruned them to keep ’em neat and tidy, and prevented any fungus attacks. But now, when those tomatoes you’ve carefully tended to all summer come into abundance, you might feel a bit like . . . well . . . to use a cliche: It’s raining tomatoes.

To the rescue — Kate McCarty, a food preservation program aide at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension!

Knowing your bounty of tomatoes is “just starting to ripen full force,” McCarty shared a few ideas to help you enjoy your hard work.

One of her favorite recipes is peach-apple salsa, which will use about three pounds of tomatoes. The salsa recipe is easy to modify, she said. “If you want to make it hotter, you can add any pepper you want, just as long as the quantity (measurement) stays the same.” For instance, where the recipe calls for 2 cups chopped green bell peppers, you could substitute a portion of that with jalapeno or other hot pepper.

She also mentioned you could consider using fruit other than apples and peaches, such as pineapple, pears or mango — as long as you keep the measurements exactly the same.

Another tip: You can easily change the flavor of your salsa by adding a bit of your favorite jarred spice or some fresh cilantro, without effecting the safety of the recipe.

If you’re not into salsa, or want to use up an even larger portion of your harvest, try the Extension’s recipe for basic ketchup, which requires a whopping 24 pounds of fresh, ripe tomatoes. Once cooked and boiled down, the yield will be 6 to 7 pints, enough to hopefully carry you through the winter.

McCarty, who teaches many classes on food preservation, spends much of her instructional time on food safety. When it comes to experimenting, she said, her most important piece of advice is to not “mess with the quantities of each ingredient. It will mess up the PH balance.” Creating the proper PH balance is critical to preventing the survival of or growth of micro-organisms or bacteria.

An important safety tip, she said, for when you are canning whole or crushed tomatoes (using a hot water bath, as opposed to the pressure cooking method) is to add one tablespoon of bottled lemon juice directly to each jar (before adding your tomatoes and prior to processing.) She said this is because researchers have noted much inconsistency in the acidity of tomatoes.

When I asked why she doesn’t recommend fresh-squeezed lemon juice, she said the same inconsistency applies to a lemon’s acidity. “Using a bottled lemon juice ensures you get a consistent (and safely preserved) product.”

The UMaine Extension’s website is an excellent reference for all things tomato. For example, with a few simple twists — adding a few chili peppers, dry mustard and mustard seeds — you can have country western ketchup. And by using their recipe for blender ketchup, you can eliminate the need for pressing or sieving by using, as you can guess, an electric blender instead.

Along with recipes for ketchup and salsa, you might also find on the website inspiration to try your hand at spaghetti sauce, canned crushed tomatoes or barbecue sauce.

The National Center for Food Preservation website also features a recipe for tomatillo green salsa, one of McCarty’s favorites. Because you can substitute your green tomatoes for the tomatillos, she said it’s a great recipe to use in the fall if you have to quickly pick the last of your tomato crop just before a frost.

A major benefit of preparing your own products, McCarty said, is that you have control over the ingredients you use. As a member of a family with assorted individual dietary concerns about processed foods (including MSG sensitivity, gluten sensitivity and diabetes), I could definitely understand the appeal of that.

McCarty’s favorite thing to can, she said, “is definitely anything pickled, in particular dilly beans — or as I just heard them called, ‘the Maine olive.’” She said her favorite part about teaching canning classes is the people. “I love spending time with people as they share information about food, gardening and self-sustainability. It’s very uplifting!”

McCarty suggested reading helpful instructions about using boiling water baths at the National Center for Food Preservation website. And if it’s your first time canning, you can prepare yourself by reading their “Principles of Home Canning.”

For safety, “low acid” foods such as vegetables, meat or mixtures of foods require pressure canning; follow recommended times and pressure recommendations.

Acidic foods such as most fruits and jellies/jams and “properly acidi?ed” foods such as tomatoes and pickles can be processed in a water bath canner.

To ensure safe acidity in whole, crushed, or juiced tomatoes, add 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice (or 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid, if you’re worried about discoloration) per quart of tomatoes. For pints, use 1 tablespoon of bottled lemon juice (or 1/4 teaspoon citric acid).

Kate McCarty, a food preservation program aide at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, prefers to use lemon juice, noting you can add a small amount of sugar to offset the acid taste.

Resources

For additional recipes and food preservation tips and instruction (including how-to videos), check out:

— The Cooperative Extension website: www.umaine.edu/food-health/food-preservation/

— The National Center for Food Preservation website: www.nchfp.uga.edu

— To look for workshops available though the UMaine Extension office, go to www.extension.umaine.edu/food-health/food-preservation/hands-on-workshops/

Peach-apple salsa

6 cups (2-1/4 pounds) chopped Roma tomatoes (about 3 pounds tomatoes as purchased)

2-1/2 cups diced yellow onions (about 1 pound or 2 large as purchased)

2 cups chopped green bell peppers (about 1-1/2 large peppers as purchased)

10 cups (3-1/2 pounds) chopped hard, unripe peaches (about 9 medium peaches or 4-1/2 pounds as purchased)

2 cups chopped Granny Smith apples (about 2 large apples)

4 tablespoons mixed pickling spice

1 tablespoon canning salt

2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

3-3/4 cups (1-1/4 pound) packed light brown sugar

2-1/4 cups cider vinegar (5%)

Yield: About 7 pint jars

Procedure:

Wash and rinse pint canning jars; keep hot until ready to use. Prepare lids according to manufacturer’s directions.

Place pickling spice on a clean, double-layered, 6-inch-square piece of 100 percent cheesecloth. Bring corners together and tie with a clean string. (Or use a purchased muslin spice bag).

Wash and peel tomatoes (place washed tomatoes in boiling water for 1 minute, immediately place in cold water and slip off skins). Chop into 1/2-inch pieces. Peel, wash and dice onions into 1/4-inch pieces. Wash, core, and seed bell peppers; chop into 1/4-inch pieces. Combine chopped tomatoes, onions and peppers in an 8- or 10-quart Dutch oven or sauce pot.

Wash, peel and pit peaches; cut into halves and soak for 10 minutes in an ascorbic acid solution (1,500 mg in a half-gallon of water). Wash, peel and core apples; cut into halves and soak for 10 minutes in ascorbic acid solution. Quickly chop peaches and apples into 1/2-inch cubes to prevent browning. Add chopped peaches and apples to the sauce pot with the vegetables.

Add the pickling spice bag to the sauce pot; stir in the salt, red pepper flakes, brown sugar and vinegar. Bring to boiling, stirring gently to mix ingredients. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove spice bag from pan and discard.

With a slotted spoon, put salsa solids into hot, clean pint jars, leaving 1 1/4-inch head space (about 3/4 pound solids in each jar). Cover with cooking liquid, leaving 1/2-inch head space.

Remove air bubbles and adjust head space if needed. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened, clean paper towel; apply two-piece metal canning lids. Process in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes. Let cool, undisturbed, 12 to 24 hours and check for a proper seal.

Serving suggestion: Serve as a side with or spooned on top of grilled pork chops or any grilled meat.

Standard tomato ketchup

Ingredients:

24 pounds ripe tomatoes

3 cups onions, chopped

3/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)

3 cups cider vinegar (5%)

4 teaspoons whole cloves

3 sticks cinnamon, crushed

1-1/2 teaspoons whole allspice

3 tablespoons celery seeds

1-1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup salt

Yield: 6 to 7 pints

Procedure: Wash tomatoes. Dip in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds or until skins split. Dip in cold water. Slip off skins and remove cores. Quarter tomatoes into a 4-gallon stock pot or a large kettle. Add onions and red peppers. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Combine spices in a spice bag and add vinegar in a 2-quart saucepan. Bring to boil. Cover. Turn off heat and let stand 20 minutes. Then, remove spice bag and combine vinegar and tomato mixtures. Boil about 30 minutes. Put boiled mixture through a food mill or sieve. Return to pot. Add sugar and salt, boil gently, and stir frequently until volume is reduced by one-half or until mixture rounds up on spoon without separation. (Since this can take a long time, McCarty suggested you might prefer to put the mixture into a crock pot instead.) When reduced, fill properly prepared pint jars, leaving 1/8-inch head space. Adjust lids and process jars for 15 minutes.