This is a busy time of year, particularly if you’re a gardener with an abundance of foods ripening all at once. I am always feeling the pressure this time of year. Not wanting to waste a single thing I have spent countless hours pampering and growing over the summer months, I strive to use everything, whether that’s immediately or by canning, freezing or donating to shelters. All our food is important to us. So when I’m feeling the crunch, cooler weather is upon us, soup season is just around the corner (!!!) and everyone has headed back to school with more intense schedules, I need to have a plan for all this food. Tomatoes are our gold and foundation for many of our favorite family recipes and of course, soups. When we can’t eat this food fast enough and I’ve simply run out of jars and time, freezing becomes a good Plan B for preserving. The nice thing about this freezing technique, is the tomato does not lose its’ flavor. Texturally they’re not good for a BLT or salad, but for soups, sauces, chilis, jams, dressings and salsas, they’re perfect and a great way to preserve until you have the time to make something fabulous.
There are several ways you can freeze tomatoes:
- Roasting or stove top cooking, cooling, then freezing in sanitized glass jars or in zip lock bags
- For small tomatoes, freezing whole, no need to cook or seed or peel. Just wash, stem, dry well and put them in zip lock bags, air removed.
- For larger tomatoes, no need to cook or seed or peel. Just wash, stem, chop and put them in sanitized glass jars or zip lock bags, air remo
ved. Flatten for easier stacking on your freezer shelves.
