Canned Tomatoes

PREPARATION

• Bring a large stockpot of water to boil and prepare a large ice bath.
• Concasse the tomatoes by making a small “X” in the bottom of each one. Working in batches, drop the tomatoes in the boiling water and blanch 1 minute. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the ice bath to cool. Then remove, peel the skins and core them.
• Pack the tomatoes (slice in half if very large) into 4 sterilized, 1-quart canning jars (The tomatoes will squish a bit and fill the jar with juice.), leaving œ inch of space at the top of each jar. Add 1 teaspoon pickling salt to each quart. Place a sterilized mouth lid on top of each jar and secure it with a sterilized band. Do not twist it tightly, just enough to keep the lid in place.
• If using the water bath method, discard the water in the stockpot. Fill it with enough fresh water to cover the canning jars by 1 inch. Bring the water to a rapid boil over high heat. Carefully place the jars in the stockpot, cover, and boil 1 hour to seal them. Use canning tongs or regular tongs to carefully remove the jars from the water and let cool.
• If using the pressure cooker method, place the canning rack at the bottom of the pot, then add the jars. Fill the pot with 3 quarts cold water and 2 tablespoons white vinegar. Secure the pressure cooker lid and place it over high heat. When the pressure gauge reaches 11 pounds, lower the heat to medium. Let cook 25 minutes, watching the pressure gauge and adjusting the temperature as needed to maintain 11 pounds of pressure.
• Turn off the heat and let the pressure cooker cool. Once the pressure gauge returns to 0 pounds, remove the lid, gently remove the jars and let cool under a clean towel.
• When the jars are completely cool, check to see if any of the lids still pop up and down. These quarts did not seal and should be refrigerated and used within 2 weeks.
• Tighten the bands on the jars that formed a tight seal and store in a dark space. The sealed tomatoes will keep several years.