We have plenty of tomatoes.

I don’t really have time to process and preserve them all, so I will squeeze in a quick round of un peeled canned tomatoes. And I’m using my rocket stove to do it.

Get your jars ready, I’m using quart jars, by boiling them in a large pot.  This sterilizes them for the tomatoes.  Check into the specifics of sterilizing jars.

While your jars are heating, cut all of your beautiful tomatoes into big chunks, just small enough to fit into a wide mouth jar.  The only part I remove is the core.  No peeling, no picking out seeds.

Put the tomatoes into a large pan and cook them down enough so the liquid level is even with the tomato pieces.

Add the warm tomatoes to the jars, leaving about a half inch of head space.  Add the warm, sterilized lids to the jars and place the jars into a hot water bath.  The jars should be fully submerged in the hot water.

Leave the tomato jars in the boiling hot water bath for 40 minutes to an hour depending on your elevation.  Once time is up, let the water cool slowly, then remove the jars carefully from the hot water.  Once the jar lids pop, they are done.  You may not always hear the pop.

I will use all these tomatoes as a base for sauce, chilli, or any other yummy tomato recipe you find. If you have a great recipe, please share in the comments.

And once you do the cooking, get the T-shirt!

For more information, check out these links:

Rodale’s Organic Life

The Washington Post

Or this book: