Adventures in canning

I should let you know right up front this is not a post detailing my extensive knowledge on canning.

In fact, this post is about how I know absolutely nothing about canning. 

It's a cry for help, really. 

I've been thinking for a long time now that I need to learn how to jar my own food. 

I'm dedicated to the idea of eating local--and real--as often as I can. 

But I'm not dedicated to wiping out my bank account to do so. 

So, my thinking is that stocking up on real food during sales and buying in bulk is a happy medium. 

I just had to figure out how to keep that food around. 

I bought this kit online, realized I didn't have all that I needed and made a quick Walmart run.  

Here we go! Using the Official Ball cookbook. That should help... right??

Got the original

This is definitely the most I've ever used my stove.

So far so good. . . 

Pretty tomatoes!!! 

Blanching those babies.

I didn't take any photos of the cutting, chopping, skinning or jarring process. Honestly because I was way to stressed out at this point thinking that I was going to do something wrong. 

Eventually I managed to fill one jar. That's right. All those tomatoes fill one pint jar. Who would've thought?

Then in my lonely jar went. 

And then it "processed."

And processed. 

And processed. 

So. . . Is this right? Is it supposed to be separated like that? Am I going to die of salmonella if I eat this?