CHERRY TOMATO CANNING (Conservazione di pomodori ciliegini)

 I found myself with a bounty of beautiful, sun-ripened cherry tomatoes from our garden and decided to preserving them for the winter.

First washed the cherry tomatoes. Unlike larger tomatoes, peeling cherry tomatoes is skipped due to their small size and thin skins.

Then, I split them in half and squeezed to remove the seeds.

Placed them in a large pot, added salt and began cooking over medium heat for about 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

 

I then passed the tomatoes through a food mill into a medium-sized pot.

Finally ladled the tomatoes into jars, added two leaves of basil and then placed the filled, lidded jars in a water bath.  

Boiled for 25 minutes.  Left the jars sit in the hot water for 2 or 3 hours before removing them.

Here is how I transformed my garden summer abundance into jars of preserved sunshine.