Canned Tomatoes

This afternoon I canned a batch of chopped tomatoes. Just simple tomatoes packed in water. I wanted to use up the tomatoes I'd harvested from our garden before leaving for Texas this week and my freezer is filled to the brim, so I couldn't freeze anymore of them. So rather than make another batch of pasta sauce, I decided to just chop them up and can them since it seemed a little less time-consuming. I ended up having enough tomatoes to do six and a half pints.

Tomatoes Packed in water
(page 354 of the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving)

Tomatoes
Bottled lemon juice or citric acid
salt (optional)


Prepare canner, jars, and lids.

Immerse the tomatoes in boiling water for 30-60 seconds or until the skin starts to loosen or crack. Immediately plunge into cold water and slip off the skins. Remove cores and any bruised or discolored areas. Leave whole, halve or quarter. (I chopped mine into large chunks)

Place tomatoes in a large stainless steel saucepan. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring gently. Reduce heat and boil gently for five minutes.

Before packing tomatoes into hot jars, add lemon juice or citric acid to the hot jar (1 Tablespoon for pints, 2 Tablespoons for quarts).

Pack tomatoes into parepared jars, leaving a generous 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, wipe rim, place lid, and screw band on to fingertip tight.

Place jars in canner and process pints for 40 minutes or quarts for 45 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool, and store.