Canning Tomatoes

Incredients and Tools Needed
1. 7-Canning jars ( Mason, Kerr or Ball) in good condition
2. New canning jar lids (you can use old screw-on rings, but must have new lids)
3. Canning & Pickling salt
4. Deep pan to heat tomatoes to loosen skin
5. Large bowl to put ice water in
6. Small pot with water to boil lids in
7. Large pan with boiling water to be added to each quart jar after it is filled with tomatoes
8. Steam canner to hold at least 7 jars
9. Small parring knives
10. Bread pans to catch skins and keep work area clean
11. Ripe tomatoes. DO NOT TRY TO CAN GREEN TOMATOES OR THE GREEN PARTS OF RIPE TOMATOES!
12. Sieve to lift tomates in and out of hot water

Process
Wash tomatoes and bottles. Start large pan of water to heat for tomatoe skin loosening.
Fill large bowl with cold water and put ice in it.
Put washed bottles in the oven at 150 to 200 degrees for 15 minutes minimum to sterilize and to keep warm until you are ready for them.
Put the cleaned rings in the oven with the bottles to sterilize.
Put the new lids in the pan of water, and start heating until it boils, then simmer until used.
When the water is beginning to boil in the large pot (very light boil), put enough tomatoes to fill a quart jar in the hot water and set the timer for 4 minutes.
After four minutes take the tomatoes out of the hot water and put in the ice water.
Start immediately to peel the skins off the tomatoes. They should slide off easily.
Cut into fourths and put in the quart jar until full.
Press down gently and fill the void with another tomato.
Put a teaspoon of canning salt on top of the tomatoes.
Fill the jar with hot water to within 1/4 inch of the top of the jar.
Loosen the air bubbles in the jar by thrusting a table knife along the inside edges of the jar.
Clean the top of the jar with a clean cloth.
Put the lid on.
Put the cap on and firmly tighten.
Put the jar into the steamer.
Continue the process until you have 7 jars in the steamer
Turn on the heat under the steamer.
When it starts to steam, set the timer for 45 minutes to cook.
When done, turn off the heat and let cool down.
When cool, carefully set the jars on a towel on the counter for 12 hours.
Label jars with a date they were canned.
Admire and post on your own blog site.
Move to your food storage area for future use!