It is easy. DON'T be afraid of failure, because when tomatoes go bad (in the jar), they smell REALLY bad, so you won't eat them.
#1 Get a simple canner--looks like a pot with a lid and jar dividers.
#2 Harvest tomatoes
#3 Boil water. Put tomatoes in for about 30 seconds (at a hard boil). Use a slotted spoon to remove. IF the skin doesn't remove easily, redip them.
#4 Remove skin and ladle WHOLE tomatoes into jars leaving 1/2" space below the top of the jar. They will spill their juice into the jar. You do NOT need to add any liquid. Use a wooden spoon to press tomatoes and remove bubbles.
#5 Wipe top and sides of top (where the lid and the screw top goes) so that you don't have any fruit juice exposed that might rot)
**keep another pot of water boiling, so that you can soften the rubber on the lids--some say one minute, other say 5--I have never softened my lids, but my tomatoes stayed good in the jar for even 5 years after canning
#6 Boil water in canner. It takes tomatoes about 25-35 minutes--
purists will argue the time#. Either--
(a) Put jars with HOT fruit into HOT water
or
(b) Put jars with cold fruit into COLD water, then begin to boil.
#7 Remove and let cool. DON'T put hot jars on a cold surface--they'll crack!!! I put mine either on the stove top OR on my big wooden cutting boards. Press down on the lids, and reboil IMMEDIATELY if it isn't a tight seal. Usually you start hearing them pop.
#8 Let cool overnight.
#9 Label product and date on the LID with a sharpie.
Tomatoes are THE EASIEST fruit to "can" (don't know WHY they call it canning, when we use glass jars)
They have high acid content, so they are less likely to go bad in the jars. Been canning tomatoes for YEARS, now!
Here are the tools that your need (these sites have advice, so read them):
http://www.preservefood.com/canning/howto.shtml
http://www.mayflowertrading.com/images/utensils.jpg
http://www.preservefood.com/gifs/canning/canningjar.gif
http://images.meredith.com/bhg/images/02/p_BKS033759.jpg
