Freezing Tomatoes

When home grown vegetables are ready to harvest, there are usually more than can be eaten before they spoil. Around this time, the grocery stores will have tomatoes on sale at prices too good to pass up. But again, you can only eat so many before they spoil. The obvious solution is to freeze them for use throughout the year.

When choosing your tomatoes for freezing use deep red, firm tomatoes. The tomato should be heavy and feel smooth. If buying from a market, get fruit that isn’t quite ripe and if possible “vine-ripened.” By ripening at home you will get a longer storage life.

Once you have your fresh tomatoes, they should be stored at room temperature until you are ready to use them. Cooked tomatoes if covered well can be stored in the refrigerator safely for one week. All fresh food should be washed well before preparation. If you want to freeze raw tomatoes they can be frozen with or without their skin. Just cut into desired sizes and place into your freezing containers which are properly labeled with product name as well as the date you are freezing. Be sure to leave 1 inch of free space at the top, then seal and freeze.

The easiest way to skin tomatoes is to dip them into boiling water for about 30 seconds. When they are removed and cooled the skins will just come off in your hands with a light rubbing. Many people also prefer to core the tomatoes before freezing. When you thaw your tomatoes they will no longer be firm or solid. At this point they are best used for sauces or juices.