Freezing Tomatoes For Winter

Freezing tomatoes is the easiest and safest method to preserve summer's bounty year round. Tomatoes may be frozen whole, chopped, sliced, and/or pureed as either juice or sauce. Thawed to room temperature, they make savory additions to stews, soups, sauces, and casseroles. With but the effort put-forth by a few simple steps, you'll always be assured of having “on-hand” the contrasting earthy and bright flavors of the garden.

For red varieties, select only vine-riped specimens exhibiting a deep 'tomato' red color; whereas, for green varieties, choose fully mature specimens when yet green. Tomatoes should firm to tender, but not mushy or soft. Avoid specimens spoiled with spots or bruises. Once picked, rinse under cold running water to remove any residue from pesticides or herbicides. Do not soak in a water bath, lest any chemicals seep into the flesh. With a paring knife, remove stems.

Bring a stockpot of water to a rolling-biol. Drop 2 to 3 tomatoes into pot and process for 30 seconds in boiling water to allow skins to gently loosen from the flesh. Using a slotted spoon, lift tomatoes from the boiling water and immediately submerge into a bath of ice water to stop the cooking process. Remove from the ice-water, and, with your fingers, gently slide the skins from the flesh. Apply a serrated knife to remove any bits of stubborn peeling.

Leave tomatoes whole, or cut into halves or quarters. Likewise, chop, dice, or puree as desired. Pack processed tomatoes into clean zip-lock freezer bags, leaving enough room to squeeze-out air before sealing. Finally, lay filled bags flat on a freezer shelf. Once fully frozen, stack bags upon one another to conserve space.

Alternatively, freeze tomatoes raw. Simply follow the steps above, but omit the par-boiling process. Tomatoes, frozen raw or parboiled, will keep in freezer until the next harvest.