yes, we CAN!

Last week, my grandma told me that there was a great sale on vine-ripe tomatoes.  48 cents/pound. 
We had been talking about canning, I wanted to learn the process, and she was happy to teach me.  When she saw that there was a great price, well, the time had come to pass the torch. 
I happily walked in and loaded my little basket with 20 POUNDS of tomatoes. They all looked fantastic, and there were millions in the bin, so I didn't feel at all bad about my purchase.
As the cutest girl ever rang me up, she looked at me like I was crazy and said, "what are you doing with all of these?!" (which I felt was a legitimate question)  "Canning them." I said, simply, as if it was something I did all the time.  "OH, ok...... how do you do that?" she proceeded where she should have just stopped at "oh, ok."  Her lack of confidence in my skills was not masked as I answered, "I have no idea."

I carried my lovely loot home and prepared for my lesson. 

No such lesson occurred.  My grandma evidently had some time on her hands because she texted me the next day (all grandmas should text) saying that the tomatoes had been washed, scalded and peeled, also the jars were washed and the tomatoes just needed to be cut and put in jars.

Ok. I can do that.

WOW. That was a lot of tomatoes to cut up. My darling daughter helped and we got through them fairly quickly.  Soon, there were 14 pints of tomatoes ready to go.  I have never heard of anyone canning the way my grandma did these tomatoes, but here is the process.  Messy, but easy.

you need: tomatoes, jars, lids, rings,  knife, spoon, canning salt, cookie sheet, oven

1. wash.
2. scald. (gently drop in boiling water for 10 seconds)
3. peel. (skin comes off fairly easily after the scalding)
4. cut. (cut out anything white leaving only the red meaty part. its best to cut over a bowl and save the juice. cut to quarters or smaller as you like.)
5. jar. (leaving 1/2 inch of room at the top, add one teaspoon of canning salt, add a bit of the reserved tomato juice or water, any seasoning you like - I suggest a few basil leaves - move a spoon around in the jar to release any air bubbles)
6. cover. (place a lid on top, twist a ring on just tight enough to seal it, not so tight you have strain a muscle opening it back up)
7. heat. (do not pre-heat the oven. put the jars in to a room temperature oven, turn it on to 250 for 50 minutes. turn the oven off, but DO NOT open the door. leave the jars until completely cool - over night if you can)
8. store. (in a pantry near you.)

Grandma said she has been using this method for 40 years and it hasn't failed.  If any of the jars do not seal properly, you can still use the tomatoes, but they are not shelf stable. Refrigerate them and use them within a week.

Buena suerte.  (I think you'll love this, really. Its pretty fantastic)