The Bunker

My mom and I canned tomatoes last weekend. She uses the Ball Blue Book recipe, but has a more fluid process worked out. My parents use the burner on their grill for the boiling water canner so they have an extra burner on the stove. I'll probably throw my lids in with the jars or pour boiling water over them in a dish on the side.


Check your older jars for defects and wash them with soapy water. Fill a boiling water canner 1/2 full with water. Heat the canner and other pots of water for lids, jars, blanching and topping jars off. When the water is simmering, 180 degrees, add a jar, lids and tomatoes to the various pots. Blanch the tomatoes until the skins crack, 60-90 seconds.


Move blanched tomatoes to cold water. Replace the now hot jar on the stove with a cool one. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice to the bottom of the hot jar. Trim the stem and blossom ends and any hard spots or defects from the tomatoes and remove the skins. Cut the tomatoes as desired and pack them into the jar, leaving 1/2 an inch of headspace. Don't be afraid to really stuff them in. Fill the jar with boiling water, again leaving 1/2 an inch headspace. Add up to 1 teaspoon salt, if desired. Remove trapped air by sticking a non-metalic spoon or spatula in around the sides. Pull back against the tomatoes gently to free hidden bubbles. Wipe the rim and threads clean with a damp cloth. Cover the jar with a hot lid using tongs or a lid wand. Screw a band on just until resistance is met. Place the jar on the elevated rack in the canner. Repeat until the canner is full.


Lower the rack of jars and process pints 40 minutes, quarts 45 minutes. Remove the jars from the canner and let them cool, an inch or two apart. The lids will pop down within a few hours.