Things You'll Need:
- Fresh tomatoes
- Serrated paring knife
- Stockpot
- Boiling water
- Large bowl of ice water
- Zip closure freezer bags
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Step 1
Vine ripened tomatoes taste best fresh or frozen. If you didn't grow your own tomatoes, pay a visit to your local farmer's market for a wide selection of ripe tomatoes. Pick tomatoes that are fully colored and tender, but not mushy or soft.
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Step 2
Clean the tomatoes by rinsing them individually under a stream of running water. Gently rub the surface of the fruit to remove any soil. If you aren't sure if the tomatoes are organic, wash them with a mild fruit and vegetable cleaner to help remove pesticide and herbicide residues, then rinse well.
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Step 3
Pop the stem off the tomatoes. If it is stubborn, use a knife to carefully remove the stem.
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Step 4
Fill a stockpot with water and bring it to a rapid boil. Dip 2 to 3 tomatoes at a time into the water. Remove the tomatoes from the pot with a slotted spoon when the skins begin to loosen (after about 30 seconds).
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Step 5
Plunge the tomatoes immediately into an ice water bath. This stops the tomatoes from cooking and further loosens the skins.
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Step 6
Slide the skins off the tomatoes and compost them. Use a serrated knife to remove any stubborn bits of peel and cut out the core of the tomato. At this point you can freeze the tomatoes whole or cut them into halves or quarters.
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Step 7
Pack the tomatoes into freezer bags, leaving one inch of headroom at the top of the bag. Freezer bags that have a zipper seal work best. Squeeze the air of the bag and zip the top close.
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Step 8
Save room in your freezer by laying the bags of tomatoes flat on a freezer shelf. Once frozen, stack the bags wherever you would like in the freezer. Frozen tomatoes stay fresh for up to one year and taste best cooked into soups, stews, and sauces.
Comments
Magentaslb said
on 10/26/2009 Good to know.. will keep in mind for next season!
Magentaslb said
on 10/26/2009 Good to know.. will keep in mind for next season!
Magentaslb said
on 10/26/2009 Good to know...maybe I'll do this next season! 5*s
showpup said
on 10/26/2009
Thanks for the easy instruction. Sometimes I just don't have the time to can all of my tomatoes. This sounds like the ideal solution. I may even enjoy them more this way.
dandman said
on 9/13/2009 Thank you. I have so many tomatoes I can't use or share them all before they spoil. Now I'll have tomatoes frozen for use untill next years crop. Great article. Thanks for sharing.