by Cathy Mcclellan

Created on: January 23, 2009   Last Updated: January 03, 2012

A garden is not a garden without tomatoes. Growing tomatoes is the best way to be able to eat as many fresh tomatoes as you like. The flavor of fresh tomatoes in recipes is beyond compare.

But many gardeners know that sometimes you have many more than you can eat. What do you do? Home can them!

Yes, can them yourself. Don't worry, it's not as hard as you may remember from when your mother or grandmother did it!

I remember thinking when I was young and trying to help my mother can, "This is just too hard!" But as my kids were growing up and we lived in a different state, I missed home canned food so much, so I decided to "bite the bullet" and learn.

Now, each year, we can enjoy fresh salsa, (I never buy store bought anymore), homemade spaghetti sauce, stewed tomatoes, and chow chow with the green ones. For this article we will focus on ripe tomatoes.

First of all, assemble your supplies.

Large stock pot

medium stock pot

small saucepan

water bath canner

canning funnel

1-2 cases pint or quart canning jars (this will depend on how many tomatoes you are using, average 7 large tomatoes per quart)

lids and rings

lemon juice

salt

ladle

slotted spoon

1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon

Jar pullers or pot holders

The very first step in any canning is to sterilize your jars, even if they are new. Start by washing in soapy water and place in dishwater. Complete one cycle. This will sterilize your jars. Leave the jars in the dishwasher for the moment.

Jars need to be hot when you are filling them with the hot product so the glass does not bust. There are a couple of ways to accomplish this.

Try to get all needed water for different steps heating at the same time. In the small saucepan, place your lids only covered in water. Make sure you use enough lids plus 2-3 more to ensure you have enough. Keep this pot on low, do not boil. This softens the rubber gasket ensuring a good seal. Place your rings by the area where you will be filling the jars.

Fill the large and medium stock pots 2/3 full with hot water and place on burner and begin heating water to rolling boil. This takes a little while. If you do not have a large pot to keep your jars hot, not to worry, another option will be listed in the steps below. Just make sure you at least have a large pot to peel tomatoes.

You will then need to wash the tomatoes and cut out all bad spots. If the tomato is mushy or has too many bad spots, do not use.

Core the stem from the tomatoes and place next to stove.

Fill one side of your kitchen

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