How to peel tomatoes (the right way)

After a few messy attempts to peel tomatoes for canning, I thought there must be an easier way to do this.  All it took was a quick google search and I found out there really IS a right way to blanch and peel tomatoes.  I'll spare you the method I was using, which was basically drop the tomatoes in a boiling pot, peel the skins and cut.  Trust me, you'll have a huge mess on your hands with tomato juice running everywhere.  So, if you're canning tomatoes, follow these steps.

Step 1: Cut the core out around the stem.
Step 2: Slice a shallow "X" on the bottom of the tomato, just enough to break through the skin.

 Step 3: blanch the tomatoes by dropping them in a boiling pot for 10-30 seconds, till you notice the peels starting to slip off.

Step 4: remove from boiling water and drop into ice water to stop the cooking process.

Step 5: Peel the skins off (which is much easier with the "Xs" cut at the bottoms and the core already removed). They will slip right off!

 

Step 6: Cut tomato in half, then squeeze out the juicy seedy portion (or scoop out with a small spoon)

 Then just dice and can them to your heart's desire!  I made this batch into creamy sweet salsa :)  Don't worry, the recipe is coming!