A huge thanks for Sine86 on Flicker for letting me borrow this picture she took.

I know I’ve been hitting this canning thing hard, But. (And that’s a big BUTT.) Tis the season. You gotta make hay while the sun shines. Right?

You all know I’m a lazy squirrel. I store up food for my family, but after a while, I get tired. Esspecially in the fall, after school starts and the garden is still loaded even though you’ve been canning for weeks. Whew! Something’s gotta give. Well, Rhoda’s, here’s a break brought to you by, Grams, my mother.

Preheat your oven to 225 degrees. Wash and core your tomatoes. If you prefer naked tomatoes, make them naked. Here’s how. Then stuff your clean jars with whole tomatoes. Leaving some head space at the top of your jar to ensure a good seal.

If your tomatoes aren’t covered by their own juice, top off with a little water. (Remember to leave that head space we talked about above.) Add 1 teaspoon of salt per quart and 1/2 teaspoon for a pint. Set the seal on top long with the ring (not screwed down–just setting loosly). Place the jar in preheated oven. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Take the hot jars out, tighten the rings and let cool on the counter. The end.

Special tips from my mother….

Grams likes to have her tomatoes bubble a little (say 10 minutes). Not boil, just bubble, before removing from the oven. She also said you can do two racks at a time, but will have to increase your baking time. Again, just watch for the bubbles. After ten bubbly minutes…take them out and tighten.

This recipe will work for fruit too. Instead of using salt, you can just cover in water or make a simple syrup (sugar and water) to cover. If you can fruit this way you need to bake it a little longer, say 90 minutes. Remember bubbles are your friends.

Since you now have all sorts of time on your hands, give yourself a pedicure. Any lazy canner deserves a pedicure.

Happy Canning!

Sis

PS ~ Grams wanted me to tell you…’This recipe is not USDA approved. I guess ‘they’ come up with ‘canning guidelines’. Who knew? This is just how we do it. Dad gum! You ought to stay away from blogs with warning labels.