Old time cooks have asbestos fingers. You could tighten the rings using a clean cloth or a flexible rubber jar gripper.

I have a question.. how do you put on rings and lids just out of boiling water without burning your fingers ? Also in other canning recipe I read it says to only fingertip tighten rings until after sealed but you say you tighten firmly until sealed, why the difference? Thank you

Hi Alice, Without knowing exactly what happened, it sounds like your lids didn’t seal correctly. Did you use new lids? Was the tomato mixture hot when you funneled into the jars? Those are some questions I would consider as you go back to the drawing board.

This is so great to hear, Maddy!

@Susan Pressley, I do my sauce that way. Inverted onto a towel and cover with a quilt. Old Italian Grandma method I learned on YouTube lol.

@Karen Oliver-Paull, use lemon juice for yellow tomatoes

@Gary, you’ll hear a popping noise and there will be dimple or indentation in the center of the lid.

Sorry, I meant inverting then not investing!

@Lorrie Root, This is what I read: “The reason open kettle canning is no longer recommended is that the food may not be heated adequately to destroy the spoilage organisms, molds and yeasts that can enter the jar while you are filling the jar, and it often not produce a strong seal. So basically, this means, user error. They have to change the rules for people who skip steps. But for all of those who know what they are doing, this is still a great way to can. Many rules are changed because of user error.

@Lorrie Root, Many people have done this for decades just fine. The rules keep changing. Not sure why so many negative comments. IF you don’t like it, move on. Why try to get people to change something they have done successfully for hundreds of years?

@Jim, there are so many things our grandmas and moms did that today are considered unsafe. Who knows why they get so crazy about stuff, but I do know many who have been doing this for years. Can they all be wrong? Remember when they told us not to jump in the lake after eating? I think today we are overly cautious about too many things. Maybe it’s just CYA.

@Connie Walters, I don’t blanch and Peel before freezing. Wash well, core and put whole in freezer bag. When go to use don’t thaw, run under cold water and skin comes right off. Will need to thaw after peeled if need to cut up for recipe you are using.

@Carol Elder, do you not our citric acid or vinegar or lemon juice in jars before canning? How long will juice last in jars?

@Gary,

How do you know if the kids are sealed?

@Anna Kate,

@Terri, thank you for reminding me to cut an X in the bottom of the tomatoes before blanching them! My mother-in law always did that too!

@John Osman, I really enjoyed hearing about your grandma. I never had the pleasure of having a granny and I felt cheated. Everyone should have a granny.

@Vince, my gggma right down to myself do this. I learned that you have to cook them and spoon the foam off until you don’t get much if any foam at all forming. Time consuming yes. But have only lost 1 jar in year and years of canning. I also either boil my jars and can while hot or after bleaching the dishwasher we rinse the jars and run the sanitize cycle. Still using them while hot. Happy Canni g everyone!

@Rickie Daniels, I do that sometimes too but I prefer to can them if I have time to do it. I think they taste better, look beautiful on my shelf, and just remind me of Mom. ????

@Anna Kate, you can buy a box of canners from the farmers market and a lot will take orders.

@Connie Walters, I just quarter mine after peeling and coring. I boil my jars to sterilize x 20 minutes and the lids and rings too. I also use a pot of water to dunk several of the tomatos at a time before peeling instead of using the sink.

@Debbie, same. It really isn’t that much time off you think about it.

@Linda Zee, that’s the absolute best way!! Then I pop mine in a colander to stain off excess liquid. Great process

@Michael Kelley, I have best luck with seals with a water bath.

@Cynthia Fagan, I water bath mine – I get 100% seals that way. Not sure why the title even mentioned pressure cooker

@Gina,

@Rickie Daniels, so you blanch them whole and then cut into what size pieces before freezing? Have to lay them flat in the freezer?