How to Freeze Tomatoes ♥

How to Freeze Tomatoes ♥ AVeggieVenture.com
Hey, all. Meet my buddy CJ, he's the "tomato man" at my local farmers market and I've learned so much from him this summer. Last week he taught me how to freeze tomatoes! Let me share all the details.

Real Food, Fresh to Freezer. Not Just Easy, Summer Easy. Budget Friendly.


Can You Freeze Tomatoes? Yes!

CJ sources the very best tomatoes for his stand at the Kirkwood Farmers Market. He drives long distances to pick up all different varieties of tomatoes raised on farms in eastern and central Missouri and across central and southwestern Illinois. We shoppers? All we have to do is show up, shell out some cash and lug home just-picked tomatoes.

It was CJ who taught me about cascade tomatoes, a roma-style tomato that fueled my first fifteen (yes, you read that right, 15) batches of Slow-Roasted Tomatoes.

It was CJ who taught me to choose boxes of slightly bruised but super-ripe tomatoes for the family relish for at least three (maybe four?) generations, Ripe-Tomato Relish with Peaches & Pears (Sharon's Pickle).

It was CJ who taught me to pick juicier tomatoes for salads and meatier tomatoes for sauces and cooking.

It was CJ who taught me to add a teaspoon of sugar to tomato sauces, it makes #AllTheDifference.

So when CJ told me about freezing tomatoes right in their own "zip lock" skins? I listened. And I I tried it – and of course, thank you CJ, it works!

This is a great way to put aside a few tomatoes for winter. You don't end up with tomatoes good enough for salad but they are tasty fresh additions to stews, casseroles, breakfast eggs, anything cooked.

And You? Do You Freeze Tomatoes

What's your experience, have you ever tried freezing tomatoes? Leave a comment, please do share your experience.

How to Freeze Tomatoes ♥ AVeggieVenture.com





HOW TO FREEZE TOMATOES

Hands-on time: 5 minutes
Time to table: several weeks or months, your call

Ripe summer tomatoes

Place tomatoes in a single layer without touching in a container that fits your freezer. (Freezing the tomatoes individually first prevents them from sticking together later. The same trick works with blueberries and cranberries, for example.)

Let freeze hard, how long this takes will depend on the size of the tomatoes and the temperature of the freezer.

Transfer the loose but frozen tomatoes to a freezer container. To limit (though not prevent) freezer burn, press a double layer of waxed paper over the top of the tomatoes, pushing the sides down along the edges, creating an air barrier. Immediately return the tomatoes to the freezer.

When ready to use, grab however many tomatoes you want and run them under hot water to easily remove the skins.

ALANNA's TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES
WHICH TOMATOES FREEZE WELL My personal choice for freezing are small grape and cherry tomatoes. Medium-size tomatoes also freeze well but they just take up a lot of room and are more prone to freezer burn because there's more air in the container, thanks to the round tomatoes.
BIG CONTAINERS? SMALL CONTAINERS? I prefer smaller containers but I can also imagine transferring the loose, frozen tomatoes (especially if small) to quart-size canning jars that fit so well into freezer doors. It'd be cool to just shake out what you need, then return the jar to the freezer.





Still Hungry?



Quick! Quick! More Recipes With These Ingredients

tomatoes

Stock Your Freezer

~ Homemade Bread & Butter Pickles ~
~ How to Freeze Corn ~
~ Slow-Roasted Tomatoes ~
~ more Canning & Preserving Vegetables ~

~ Finnish Meatballs ~
~ Roasted Veggie Enchilada Casserole ~
~ Laura's Healthy Carrot Soup ~
~ more freezer meals ~
from Kitchen Parade, my food column




Looking for healthy new ways to cook vegetables? A Veggie Venture is home to hundreds of super-organized quick, easy and healthful vegetable recipes and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables. Join "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg to explore the exciting world of common and not-so-common vegetables, seasonal to staples, savory to sweet, salads to sides, soups to supper, simple to special.

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Alanna Kellogg
Alanna Kellogg

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

Comments

  1. AnonymousJuly 24, 2012

    This accually works. Been doing it for a couple of years. never tried the pealing. How long would it be safe to store them in the freezer

    ReplyDelete

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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe, whether a current recipe or a long-ago favorite. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. ~ Alanna