How To Freeze Tomatoes
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One thing about growing tomatoes, especially when you live in a climate that freezes. You will have tomatoes left at the end of the season that you can’t eat before they go bad. This is where you need to know how to preserve them for the future. There are several ways to preserve them. Freezing them is my favorite method of keeping them for future use. Freezing them is the easiest way to keep them. Canning will allow them to be saved for longer, but it’s more work and you need special equipment.
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Unfortunately, when you save tomatoes, they will never be the same as fresh. They will not be edible as you would fresh ones. You will need to use them in cooking or salsa. There are a few ways to freeze tomatoes. One method that I use frequently is.
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I cut them, core them, and put them in a food processor and chop them up fine. I then use them when making chili or salsa in the future. Just thaw them out and use as you want. They will keep for up to a year in freezer bags. Bag them in portions that you think will be the right size for what you want to use them for. Because I chop them up fine, I leave the skins on.
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Slice the tomatoes into half-inch slices and freeze them flat on a cookie sheet. After two or three hours, put the slices into bags and freeze them for using when you need them. When you thaw the slices out, you can use them like you will use slice tomatoes if you use them just as they are almost thawed out. If you let them thaw too far, they will be mushy.
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You can also wash whole tomatoes and dip them in boiling water for 30 seconds and peel off the skins. Then you can freeze them whole or cut them up. Put them in containers or bags and leave a little space for the liquid to expand.
Fresh tomatoes are so delicious, I wish there were a way to save them and have them fresh like they are out of the garden all winter. Unfortunately, that is not possible. At least you can save your extra crops and not waste them. If you ripen the green ones, you will save all you have for later use.
