How to Can Tomatoes Like My Maw Maw

Today me and Dad made a trip to Jaemar Farm Market. It was a really nice day for a drive and Dad needed to get out of the house for a while. It is off season for pretty much anything right now so we didn't have our hopes up for anything special.
We shopped around and looked at the baked goods, the fresh jams and jellies, and the produce. They had  25 lb boxes of tomatoes from Florida for $17 and we had decided to get a box and share with the family. I had mentioned to Dad that I would love to have that many tomatoes to can and he noticed the box over in the bruised section. They had ONE 25 lb box of tomatoes for $3!!! You can't pass that up! You just can't. Challenge accepted.
I'm not crazy, I realized these tomatoes weren't home grown quality. They were some really pretty tomatoes though.
After picking up a few more items and a bag of boiled peanuts, we headed home.


I couldn't wait to get home and start canning those tomatoes.

I have a really vivid memory of my Maw Maw Irene canning tomatoes. I know the smell of the tomatoes cooking and I know that you're not allowed to use a metal spoon to stir them. A few years ago when I started being interested in canning my own tomatoes, I went to Mom's house for a quick lesson. She was amazed how much I remembered on my own.

Here's what you'll need:


A big pot. I had to use the biggest pot I had and then I had to pull out the 2nd biggest pot I have. 25 lbs is a lot of tomatoes.
A wooden spoon. (you can use plastic, but no metal spoons! It's a rule.)

8 Quart Mason Jars with metal bands
8 NEW seals for the jars (they don't have to be new, but I highly recommend it)

First, take the tomatoes out of the box and wash them very well in the sink.


Next, peel the tomatoes and cut out any bad spots and the core.
Don't worry about the bad tomatoes in the box. Just because they are bruised on the outside, they are more than likely perfect on the inside.

This is my big pot. I filled it up with  most of the tomatoes, but I did have to use another one.

You don't have to worry about how you chop the tomatoes, just make sure they are peeled and put them in the pot and set the temp between medium and high.

Pretty, aren't they?

2 pots of tomatoes

Let the tomatoes cook. They will boil and have a thick foam on the top. Stir occasionally and this foam will gradually go away.

This is the foam. Let it continue to cook.

It's almost ready.

Clean the jars VERY well. Pour boiling water over the jars and seals use the jar tongs to hold the jars. I used a big bowl and used it as my "scalding" bath.

The jars are ready, place the jar funnel in the jar and begin to fill with the tomatoes. Jars and tomatoes are very hot!

I don't fill them all the way to the top.

Add a heaping teaspoon of SALT to the jar. Wipe the rim clean and place the seals in place and screw on the rings.

The 25 lb box made 8 quarts. Carefully sit them on the counter and DO NOT DISTURB them. You will hear a popping sound as each one seals itself. These will keep in your pantry for a couple of years, but I recommend using within ONE year

Let them cool for several hours or overnight ~ Please do not disturb the cans!

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