How to Can Stewed Tomatoes
Prepare Your Canner
Fill your water bath canner and begin heating the water.
Wash your jars and keep them hot until you're ready to fill them.
Prepare your lids according to the manufacturer's current instructions.
Wash and Peel the Tomatoes
Wash the tomatoes thoroughly and remove the cores.
Dip them into boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds, then transfer them to ice water.
Slip off the skins and discard them.
Cut the peeled tomatoes into quarters.
Heat the Tomatoes
Place about one-sixth of the quartered tomatoes into a large saucepan.
Heat them quickly while crushing them with a wooden spoon or potato masher to release their juice.
Continue heating and stirring to prevent scorching.
Once the tomatoes are boiling, gradually add the remaining quartered tomatoes. Stir them into the hot mixture as you go.
You don't need to crush all of the tomatoes.
Once all the tomatoes have been added, boil gently for about 5 minutes.
Acidify the Jars
Before adding the tomatoes, put bottled lemon juice or citric acid into each hot jar.
For pints, use 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice or ¼ teaspoon citric acid.
For quarts, use 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice or ½ teaspoon citric acid.
If you're using salt, add ½ teaspoon per pint or 1 teaspoon per quart.
The salt is for flavor, not preservation, so it can be omitted.
Fill the Jars
Ladle the hot tomatoes and their juice into the prepared jars.
Leave ½ inch headspace.
Remove trapped air bubbles and adjust the headspace if necessary.
Wipe the jar rims clean, then apply the lids and bands.
Process the Tomatoes
Place the filled jars into the water bath canner.
Make sure the jars are covered with water according to proper water bath canning procedures.
Process according to your jar size and elevation.