Have you always wanted to can tomatoes but it seems overwhelming to you? I did this step by step post so you can see that it's really an easy process. So get those plants started inside and grow you some tomatoes!
First thing you're going to need is tomatoes. Did I really need to say that....;) I've found canning tomatoes here cost about $7-$12 for twenty pounds. Once you get them you can put them in the sink and wash all the dirt and nasty from them.
Bring a large stock pot of water to a boil and put tomatoes in once it's boiling.
When the skins on the tomatoes start to crack it's time to get them out.
Transfer them to a sink filled with cold water.
I have all my tomatoes removed from boiling water and sitting in cold water. I put two batches in boing water. I then washed out stockpot and now I will start to peel, core, and chunk tomatoes.
The skins peel off really easily after boiling.
Remove the stem and core of the tomato. I just cut a circle around the stem with a pairing knife and pop it out.
Cut your tomatoes into large chunks and put back in stockpot.
Once you have all your tomatoes chunked, put them back on the stove and turn it a little bit above medium heat to start cooking them down and thickening them.
In washed and dried jars put 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of sugar in the bottom of each jar.
Get your lids in water and start warming them on the stove. Fill your canner with water and start heating it.
Once your tomatoes have cooked for about forty-five minutes to one hour they will look like this.
Remove tomatoes from the stove and use an immersion blender to blend the tomatoes to a finer consistency. My boys are not big fans of chunky tomato pieces so this step is not necessary if you don't mind chunky tomatoes.
Grab a ladle and start transferring tomatoes to jars. Make sure to use a canning funnel so you don't make a mess.
Once you have your jars filled, take a wet paper towel and wipe off the rim of your jars.
Grab your lids that have been warming in the water and stick them on top of jars.
Once lids are on, screw the ring on. Tighten the ring, but not too tight.
Transfer your jars to your canner and submerge them with water about an inch over the top of the lids. Once the water is boiling process for 20 minutes.
When the 20 minutes is up, you can carefully remove jars from your canner with a jar grabber. You should hear the popping sound of jars sealing almost immediately. Store your tomatoes on your shelves and enjoy the taste of your hard work all winter long.
I put up 39 quarts of tomatoes and 3 pints this summer. I hope this helps anyone who has questions about canning tomatoes. I realize there are many methods out there to use, but this is the one used on our homestead. If you have any questions comment below and I will answer them. Thanks!
~Jenn
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