I am so excited to process my first batch of canned tomatoes for the year. I'll be absolutely thrilled to crack these open in the middle of a Chicago winter. Yes, you can buy very nice canned and jarred tomatoes at the store, but they will pale in comparison to your own homegrown beauties. If you keep up with my blog, you will know that I was not 100% satisfied with my tomato canning last year. The end result was watery and suited only for soups, not sauces- unless you wanted to spend hours reducing the canned tomatoes down. No thanks! This year worked out much better due to fully deseeding the tomatoes and separating out the 'tomato water' from the tomato flesh.

You can process whole tomatoes, or marinara, or salsa, or almost any variety of tomato product, but I decided to go with plain stewed tomatoes. I figure I can always add onions, herbs or garlic later depending on my needs. I can also puree it later if I want a smooth sauce or soup.

You do not need to pressure can tomatoes, they do fine in a water bath because they are considered a high-acid food. I figured since I have the pressure canner, I might as well be as safe as possible.

Step 1: Obtain Tomatoes. Either grow your own gorgeous tomatoes or buy some from your local farm stand. I used plum & patio red tomatoes for the jars on the left, and yellow-gold heirlooms for the jars on the right. I'm not sure if you can see the color difference in the picture, but it is quite clear in person.

Step 2: Blanch Tomatoes. Remove the core of the tomato by cutting out with a paring knife. Score the bottom of each tomato with an X. Drop into a boiling water for 20-30 seconds or until you see the skin start to split. Remove and cool in an ice water bath until cool enough to handle, approximately 1 minute. Remove the skin- it should slip right off the flesh.

Step 3: Cut tomatoes in half and scoop out the seeds. I like to do this into a strainer set over a bowl to capture all of that beautiful tomato water. I usually end up drinking it immediately with just a dash of salt, but can be used for a chilled soup base or added to hot soups or stews.

Step 4: Coarsely chop the de-seeded tomato halves.

Step 5: Cook. I put my tomato into a large saucepan or dutch oven and cook at a low simmer until the tomato starts to break up and give off its juice. I try to reduce the tomatoes a little bit to concentrate their flavor. Let simmer gently for 45-60 minutes, stirring occassionally.

Step 6: Set up your pressure canner according to manufacturer instructions. I placed 7 pint jars in mine and covered halfway up with water and a splash of white vinegar. I brought it up to a simmer. I also had my lids in a separate small saucepan of barely simmering water.

Step 7: Fill your jars. Once your pressure canner is simmering and your tomatoes have cooked down, remove the jars from the water bath one at a time and do the following to each- add 1/2 tsp salt and 1 Tbsp lemon juice. Fill your warm jar up with tomatoes leaving 1 inch of headspace. Wipe rim with a clean cloth dipped in white vinegar. Top with a lid and a screw band tightened finger-tight. Do not over-tighten. Place back in the pressure canner.

Step 8: Process. Seal the canner and turn up the heat. Vent steam for 10 full minutes. Then place the weight on the steam valve and watch carefully until the pressure reaches 10 psi. Monitor your heat carefully to keep the pressure steady at 10 psi for 15 minutes. Then turn off the heat and let the pressure canner return to 0 psi. Once it has been at 0 psi for at least 10 minutes, open the top carefully. It is wise to use hot pads for this as the steam that will escape will be bountiful and incredibly hot. I usually leave them be for at least an hour to cool a bit, and then remove jars to cool on a clean towel on the counter, away from any drafts or extreme temperature changes.

Step 9: Test Seal. Check the pop tops on the jars. They should not click under your finger. Remove screw bands and store your tomatoes in a dark, cool spot for up to a year. If you do have one that doesn't seal properly, just place it in your fridge and use within 5 days.