Take the tomato in the left hand and with a sharp knife cut out the core.  Be careful not to cut into the fleshy portion or seed cells, for this will scatter the seeds and pulp through the liquid, injuring the appearance of the product.  Cut out the core before removing the skin, for the skin will protect the pulp and there will be less danger of breaking the tomato.  If the tomatoes are ripe and have been scalded properly, the skin can be slipped off with the fingers.

The jars, rubbers and tops should be ready.  Glass jars should be hot, so there will be no danger of breakage in setting them in the hot water, and so they will not cool the water in the cooker below the boiling point.

Pack the tomatoes whole, pressing and shaking them well down together, but not using force enough to crush them.

Now we come to a point where tomatoes are different from most vegetables.  Beans, carrots, peas, and so on, have hot water added to them.  But as a large part of the tomato is water, no more is needed.  Another exception where no water is needed is with the “greens family.”  So with tomatoes we add no water, but add one teaspoonful of salt and one teaspoonful of sugar, just for seasoning, to every quart jar.  I think that tomatoes always are improved by the addition of a little sugar, but this is not necessary and can be omitted, as also can be the salt.

The salt in canning does not act as a preservative, but as seasoning; so if for any reason you forget the salt, do not be alarmed.  Your products will keep perfectly without the salt.

THE WAY TO SEAL

The products are in the hot jars now.  The jars do not need to be full in order to keep.  If you were canning by the “open-kettle” method, the air in the partly filled jar would not have been sterilized, and might contain the bacteria which cause the product to ferment or mold.  But by the cold pack, the air in the can is sterilized while the product is being sterilized; and if the can is closed immediately after cooking, a single spoonful may be canned in a two-quart jar and the product will keep indefinitely.

Place Rubber and Cover on Jar.  Fit the rubber.  Use good rubbers and see that they lie flat and fit close up to the can.  Put the covers in place.

Do Not Seal Glass Jars Tight.  If using screw-top jars screw each cover down until it catches, then turn a quarter of a round back; or screw down with the thumb and little finger, not using force but stopping when the cover catches.

If using vacuum-seal jars put the cover on and the spring in place.  The spring will give enough to allow the steam to escape.

If using glass-top jars, with the patent wire snap, put the cover in place, the wire over the top and the clamp up.

The cover on a glass jar must not be tight while processing, because the air will expand when heated, and if the cover is not loose enough to allow the steam to escape, the pressure may blow the rubber out or break the jar.