Italian-Style Tomatoes with Herbs

Ingredients

Instructions

1. 1Wash 7 quart jars, bands, and new lids in hot soapy water and keep the jars hot until ready to fill.
2. 2Simmer the new lids in hot water per the manufacturer's instructions.
3. 3Wash the tomatoes, score an X on the bottom, blanch 30 to 60 seconds in boiling water, cool in ice water, slip off the skins, cut out the cores, and quarter the tomatoes.
4. 4Heat a small portion of the quartered tomatoes in a large pot, crushing them to release juice, then gradually add the remaining tomatoes while stirring, and bring the whole pot to a gentle boil for 5 minutes, keeping the tomatoes fairly chunky.
5. 5Stir in the sliced garlic, basil, oregano, and parsley during the last 2 minutes of cooking, keeping the garlic at or below the amount listed here since garlic is low-acid.
6. 6Add the required acid directly to each hot, empty jar before filling: 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon citric acid per quart jar (half that per pint), plus salt if using.
7. 7Ladle the hot tomatoes and herbs into the jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace.
8. 8Remove air bubbles with a nonmetallic tool, wipe the rims clean, center the lids, and screw the bands on fingertip tight.
9. 9Process in a boiling-water canner, jars covered by 1 to 2 inches of water, timing from a full rolling boil: 35 minutes for pints and 45 minutes for quarts at 0-1,000 ft, adding 5 minutes at 1,001-3,000 ft, 10 minutes at 3,001-6,000 ft, 15 minutes at 6,001-8,000 ft, or 20 minutes above 8,000 ft.
10. 10Turn off the heat, wait 5 minutes, then move the jars with a jar lifter to a towel-lined counter and let cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours.
11. 11Press each lid to confirm sealing, label with contents, acid added, and date, and refrigerate any jar that did not seal.
12. 12Store sealed jars in a cool, dark place up to about 1 year; refrigerate after opening and use within about a week.
13. 13Dried herbs do not add meaningful acid, so the bottled lemon juice or citric acid is still required in full, and the garlic must not exceed the amount specified.