Preserving The Last of the Tomatoes
The temperature is dropping and the rains have begun. Time to pick the last of this years’ tomatoes in various stages of readiness. I think I put it off as long as I possibly could!
We had about 20 plants this year that we started from seed late last winter.
The cherry tomatoes don’t need to be preserved, we can eat all those! We had 3 cherry tomato plants, and I think we have about 1 cup or 2 of them left, I’ll plant more for next year!
I froze 3 separate batches of tomatoes, prepared 3 ways.
Cuisinart DLC-2009CHB Prep 9 9-Cup Food Processor, Brushed Stainless
First, I had to remove the skins. I put a bowl of cold water next to my pot of boiling water and had a slotted spoon ready.
Cut an X across the tomato bottoms and drop a few (4 – 6) in the boiling water at a time.
It only takes a matter of seconds for the tomatoes to start peeling – some of the green ones take a bit longer.
Immediately immerse the tomatoes in the cold water to stop the cooking process.
The peels slide off very easily.
First I did a batch of Roma tomatoes. I left them whole and put them in a large freezer bag.
I realized AFTER I started that I only had one bag!
This was my solution…
I wanted to be able to take out just enough when I decide to use them, so I divided the tomatoes and folded the bag over.
So…after getting more baggies, I could continue!
For the second batch, I cooked the tomatoes down (a mixture of different types), added onion, peppers, garlic and spices. Once it cooled, I divided it between a few bags for the freezer.
And for the last batch, I didn’t peel them first. Instead, I cooked down a mix of tomatoes – without adding anything – and put them in the food processor (in batches) to break down any peels.
What is your favorite way to preserve your tomatoes?
