Safety Note: Do not increase the amount of peppers, onions, and celery. Do not use tomatoes that are overripe, decayed, or harvested from frost-killed vines.
• Prepare and measure tomatoes: Wash, core, and blanch the tomatoes in the large stockpot, removing them to a large bowl in batches. When done blanching, drain the stockpot, then and peel and quarter the blanched tomatoes, measuring them in a large glass measuring cup as you go and adding them to the stockpot. Here's how I easily peel tomatoes.
• Prepare and measure vegetables: Wash all vegetables, trimming and peeling as needed. Dice each into a half-cup measuring cup and add to the stockpot.
• Cook: Stir the salt, sugar, and black pepper (if using) into the vegetable mixture and bring to a low boil; reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Water Bath Canning

• While tomato mixture is simmering, prepare canner, jars and lids (see note for a tutorial for water-bath canning).
• Once the mixture is ready, add 1/4 teaspoon citric acid to a clean, hot, pint canning jar (one at a time). Ladle the tomato mixture into the jar, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Remove bubbles with a chopstick or spatula, wipe rim, and attach lid. Place jar in raised canner rack (over medium-high heat) and repeat with remaining jars, being sure to add the 1/4 teaspoon citric acid to each jar.
• When all the jars are on the canner rack, lower the rack, cover the canner and bring to a boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, set a timer to process 40 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to maintain a soft boil. When the timer goes off, remove the lid, turn off the heat and allow jars to sit in canner 5 minutes.
• Remove jars from canner to a towel-lined counter and let cool 12 to 24 hours. Remove rings for storage and check lids to be sure they’ve sealed (gently pull up with your fingers). Refrigerate any that didn’t seal. Store home canned jars in a cool, dark place for up to 18 months.

To Freeze Stewed Tomatoes

• After cooking 10 minutes, remove the mixture from the heat and let cool a bit before transferring to freezer safe glass containers (if using plastic, cool completely before transferring).
• Label and date containers and freeze for up to a year.
• Note: If freezing you can leave out the citric acid and be safe, but since it is an ingredient in the commercial product, it may affect the flavor.