This is how we did it:
Get your tools together. You will need a trash bin for the peels, a deep pan of boiling water with a lid to process the tomatoes, a pan to put sliced tomatoes in to get some "juice" to fill the jars, a large bowl to put the tomatoes in as you slice them, clean jars and lids/bands, tongs, several towels, potholders, sharp knives for peeling and coring, boiling water in one side of the sink and cold on the other, lemon juice and salt.
You need to put one tablespoon of salt and two tablespoons of lemon juice in each jar for quart jars.
Put your tomatoes in the hot water side of the sink. Let them sit for a good while and then place them in the other side, which should have icy cold water. The skins generally slip off or peel off pretty easily. Be sure to core them. Just take the paring knife and shove it into the top around the core area and make a little circle to cut it out. When you have a good amount of peeled and sliced tomatoes in your bowl, start filling your jars. You should only fill them 3/4 of the way. Use a spatula to make sure you don't have air bubbles in the sides of the jars. In your tomato pan on the stove, put sliced tomatoes and let them get hot and juicy. These are what you will use to top off your jars.
When your jars are full of the sliced tomatoes/lemon and salt/hot tomatoes mixture, place the bands and lids LOOSELY on the jars. You will then put them in the large pot of boiling water that you have on the stove. Cover the pot with a lid and set the timer for 30 minutes. This is important to process your tomatoes. When your timer goes off, gently remove the jars from the pot and place them lid side down on a towel. After a few minutes, you will need to flip them over and tighten the lids. Voila! Canned tomatoes!
By the 75,467th tomato, Kristi was feeling a little suicidal...
Don't worry, I stopped her in time.
Aren't they pretty!
Here are a few "outtakes":
We are all about safety. Since Kristi and I had a few beers while canning our beautiful tomatoes, we let the dog drive me home. She isn't half bad, but Kristi had to work the pedals for her.
The dogs name is Doli or something like that. She's got a long Italian name that I can't say. She french kissed me when I was smiling... I will never smile around that dog again.
