How to Use Frozen Whole Tomatoes

Freezing your tomatoes allows you to wait until you have the time and supplies to can them.

Tomatoes are a must-have for traditional Italian dishes. African, Latin-American, Cajun and Indian recipes also make frequent use of tomatoes. When time or lack of canning equipment prevent you from preserving your harvest, freezing tomatoes provides a quick, simple solution. Freezing affects texture, so skip salsas and other texture-dependent recipes in favor of world cuisine and regional heritage dishes. Can whole frozen tomatoes to use in your favorite recipes, for year-round enjoyment.

Things You'll Need

• 20-qt stockpot with lid
• Frozen tomatoes
• Pestle
• Wooden spoon
• Ladle
• Food mill
• Lemon or lime juice
• Canning jars, lids and rings
• Water bath canner with tight-fitting lid
• Jar lifter
• Towels

Instructions

Juice

1. Place 14 lbs. frozen tomatoes in your stockpot for every 5 qts. of finished juice desired. (see References 1) Put the lid on the stockpot and turn heat on low. Allow tomatoes to thaw for twenty minutes.

2. Raise heat to medium-high. Bring tomatoes to a boil while you crush them against the sides of the stockpot with a pestle or wooden spoon.

3. Position the food mill over your stockpot and fill it with the boiling tomato mixture. Turn the handle to extract the juice back into the pot. Discard the seeds and pulp. Repeat as many times as necessary to remove all the seeds and skins from your juice.

4. Add 1/2 cup lemon or lime juice to every gallon of tomato juice before canning it to ensure adequate acidity. Omit lemon or lime juice if refrigerating or freezing the tomato juice instead.

5. Follow USDA canning guidelines if you intend to can tomato juice. Wash all jars in hot soapy water and rinse well. (see References 2) Sterilize the jars by filling them with water and boiling them in a separate water bath canner for ten minutes. Use a jar lifter to remove jars from the water bath and stand them upright on a towel on your counter.

6. Fill each jar with juice, up to 1-inch from the top. Place lids on each jar, rubber side down. Screw rings onto each jar fingertip tight.

7. Fill water bath canner halfway with water and heat to 170 degrees Fahrenheit. (see References 3) Place each jar in the rack in the water bath canner. Pour additional boiling water into the canner, taking care not to pour directly onto the jars, until water laps over the tops of each jar by two inches.

8. Process tomato juice in the water bath for 45 to 60 minutes, depending on the size of the jars and your approximate altitude. (see References 2A) Remove jars from the water bath using a jar lifter and place them on a towel on the counter until they cool overnight.

9. Press on each seal the next day, refrigerating any jars that did not seal. Can the juice a second time with a new seal if desired.

Tomato Sauce, Puree or Paste

1. Double the amount of frozen tomatoes used to make juice when making tomato sauce, or triple it for tomato paste.

2. Fill stockpot with 14 lbs. frozen tomatoes for every gallon of crushed tomatoes desired. Prepare the same way used to make tomato juice, without running the tomatoes through the food mill.

3. Simmer on low heat until the tomato mixture reduces by 1/3 to 1/2 if making tomato sauce. (see References 2B) Reduce by 2/3 if making tomato paste.

4. Fill jars, leaving a 1-inch headspace and process in water bath canner as before.

Tips & Warnings

• Stew less-tender cuts of meat or poultry in tomato juice instead of water. Boil pasta or rice in tomato juice for richer flavor. Use tomato juice as vegetable stock for soups. Add homemade tomato puree, sauce or paste to pasta sauces, chutneys or bread dough, or in chili, fish stew and other African heritage dishes such as tamatie bredie, chakalaka, tsebhe sga or doro wat. Use tomato paste to make homemade ketchup and barbecue sauce.

References

• PickYourOwn.org; Canning Tomato Juice...; Blake Slemmer; 2010
• Colorado State University Extension; Canning Tomatoes and Tomato Products; P. Kendall; Oct. 1999
• Colorado State University Extension; Canning Fruits; P. Kendall; Aug. 1994

Resources

• Manjula's Kitchen; Tomato Chutney Recipe; Manjula Jain; Jan. 2007
• Manjula's Kitchen; Vegetable Pasta; Manjula Jain; Aug. 2009
• "The Congo Cookbook -- African Recipes"; Jollof Rice; Ed Gibson; Dec. 2008
• BlackTVOnline; Healthy African Cooking With Ngozika; Ngozika; Jan. 2008
• Whats4Eats; Chakalaka; Brad Harvey
• Afri Chef; Tomato Bredie -- Tomato and Mutton Stew -- Tamatie Bredie; Michael Tracey