Many recipes include Canned Diced Tomatoes. Why not make your own with those local and fresh end of summer tomatoes? They're very budget friendly and taste so much better than what you can buy in a store. Stock your pantry and have that fresh tomato flavour all winter long!
8 500 ml mason jars with screw bands and new, unused sealing discs.
Pressure Canner
Jar Wrench/Lifter
Canning Funnel
Ladle
Non-metallic Bubble Remover
Magnetic Lid Lifter
Ingredients
21poundsplum (roma) tomatoespeeled, cored, and diced
8tablespoonsbottled lemon juice
4teaspoonssalt
Instructions
To Prepare Mason Jars:
Wash mason jars and screw lids in soapy water and rinse soap off well under running hot water. Place clean jars on a baking sheet and place in oven preheated to 200 degrees. Set screw bands aside. Next, boil a kettle of water and pour into a clean glass bowl. Carefully submerge the sealing discs in the bowl of hot water. Set aside.
To peel the tomatoes, start by bringing a small pot of water to a full boil. Next, just slightly score the bottom of each tomato making an X with your knife. Don't cut too deep - the point is to just slice the skin. Next, place a bowl of ice water in your sink. Once the water comes to a full boil, carefully drop about four tomatoes into the hot water for 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, remove the tomatoes and place directly into the ice water. Place four more tomatoes into the hot water. Continue to do this until all tomatoes are done. You will notice that the bottom of each tomato has opened up. You can now use your finger to peel the skin off, placing the peeled tomato into a clean bowl. Once done, chop the tomatoes, removing and discarding the core.
Remove the sterilized jars from the oven. Ladle the diced tomatoes into prepared mason jars using a funnel to prevent the mixture from touching the rim of the jars. Really pack them in tightly, pushing the tomatoes down into the jar with a clean spoon.
Add one tablespoon of bottled lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to each jar.
Wipe down the rim of each jar with a damp paper towel to ensure none of the tomatoes have come in contact with the rim.
Carefully remove the sealing discs from the hot water with a magnetic lid lifter. Position the sealing disc directly onto the lid of the jars. Do not touch the underside of the lid.
Screw on the screw bands until firm - do not apply pressure! Just use your fingertips to tighten the screw bands.
Next, prepare your pressure canner according to the instructions for your particular brand, make, or model.
Using the jar lifter, place the jars into the canner and place the lid on securely.
Process for 30 minutes using a 10 pound (69 kPa) weighted gauge. Be sure to adjust pressure for your altitude if over 1000 feet. Time the processing from the time the canner has reached full pressure. Once done, turn off the heat and allow canner to de-compress naturally.
Carefully remove each jar from the canner using the jar lifter. Do not tilt the jars or try to wipe them dry. Place jars onto a wire cooling rack that has been covered with a clean kitchen towel.
Leave the jars to cool for a minimum of 12 hours. Once cooled, wipe the jars of any residue that might have been transferred to the outside of the jar during the boiling process. Label the jars and store in a dark, cool cabinet.
Notes
Recipe makes 8 500 ml jars. (1 pint jars)21 pounds of tomatoes is just less than half a bushel. You will need approximately 8 tomatoes for each jar.Serving size is equal to 1/4 cup.