Since I had written directions for an easy, no cook vegetable, I should do instructions for a cooked vegetable. This time I am going to give you my “secret” recipe for stewed tomatoes. A little more difficult but they are delicious. Refer to my part 2 article for instructions on basic canning.

When canning tomatoes, you want to use a firm, meaty variety. The best tomatoes for canning are Big Mama, Amish Paste, Ace55 and Heinz 1439. I have also used Beefsteak and Big Boy for making stewed tomatoes. While a little juicier, they still work well.

I recommend washing your jars in the dishwasher as you are preparing your tomatoes since you will want your jars to be hot before filling. Place jars in a kettle of boiling water. Turn off burner and cover with a lid. You will want to make sure the jars stay hot. Place your rings and lids in a smaller pan of hot water.

As I mentioned in an earlier article, I like to core and freeze my tomatoes. I then let them thaw and just pull the skins off with my fingers. If you don’t have freezer room you can either peel them or blanch and plunge in an ice bath. Peeling takes forever so I am going to give you the blanching method.

Core your tomatoes and cut the navel off the bottom. I use my double sided sink for this, putting boiling water on one side and ice water on the other. You need a lot of ice because it melts quickly. Place several tomatoes in the boiling water side. Don’t do too many at once, something like 10 tomatoes. Let them sit for about 1-minute. Lift out with tongs or handled strainer and place in the ice bath. Do this until your ice has melted then drain water. The tomato skins will be transparent and easy to remove.

Once you have finished peeling your tomatoes, dice them into small cubes roughly 1 inch in diameter. Place in a large kettle. Only fill your kettle half-full because tomatoes foam.

To a half kettle of tomatoes add 3 cups chopped green peppers, 3 cups chopped onions, 3 cups chopped celery and 1 cup of chopped garlic, salt to taste. Bring to a boil and let cook for 15 minutes.

Using a jar funnel, ladle tomatoes into hot jars. Wipe the rims and seal with lids and rings. Place in prepared canner and cook at 10 pounds of pressure for 20 minutes. Remove and let cool, checking for a proper seal before storing.

Home canned tomatoes have a fresh, picked from the vine flavor. These stewed tomatoes are good in soups, pasta dishes or right out of the jar. Since tomatoes are a high acid food, you don’t have to cook before serving. Be sure to follow all canning procedures and safety precautions I listed in Let’s Start Canning Part 2.