PREP: 1 hour COOK: 10 minutes PROCESS: 20 minutes (pints) or 25 minutes (quarts) MAKES: 7 pints or 4 quarts

Stewed Tomatoes

What You’ll Need

8 lb. ripe firm tomatoes

1 cup chopped celery

½ cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped green sweet pepper

¼ cup bottled lemon juice

2 tsp. sugar

2 tsp. salt

How to Make It

1. Wash tomatoes. Remove peels, stem ends, and cores. Chop tomatoes. Measure 17 cups.

2. Place chopped tomatoes in an 8- to 10-qt. stainless-steel, enamel, or nonstick heavy pot. Add the remaining ingredients to tomatoes in pot. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.

3. Ladle hot stewed tomatoes into hot sterilized quart or pint canning jars, leaving a 1-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims; adjust lids and screw bands.

4. Process filled jars in a pressure canner, at 10 lb. pressure for a weighted-gauge canner or 11 lb. pressure for a dial-gauge canner, 20 minutes for pints or 25 minutes for quarts. Allow pressure to come down naturally. Remove jars from canner; cool on wire racks. Check lids for seal. (Canning tips, pages 461–466.)

5. To serve, place contents of one jar in a small saucepan. Bring to a rapid boil. Boil, covered, 10 minutes (add 1 minute for each 1,000 feet of elevation).

Freezer Directions: Prepare as directed through Step 2. Place pot of stewed tomatoes in a sink filled with ice water. Ladle tomatoes into wide-top freezer containers, leaving a ½-inch headspace. Seal and label; freeze up to 10 months. (Freezing tips, page 467.)

PER ½ CUP STEWED TOMATOES: 25 cal., 0 g fat, 0 mg chol., 175 mg sodium, 5 g carb., 2 g fiber, 1 g pro.

1. Use a paring knife to make a shallow X in the blossom end of each tomato.

2. Immerse tomatoes in boiling water 1 to 2 minutes or until skins split. Use a slotted spoon to transfer tomatoes to a bowl of ice water.

3. When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, use your fingers or a knife to peel off skin.