A few weeks ago, our garden was overflowing with juicy, ripe red tomatoes. Yum! There was only one problem. We had plans to go camping for a few days. I was nervous that the tomatoes wouldn’t wait for me. Plus, everyone knows when you return from vacation, you have lots of things to do to catch back up on the chores you missed while you were gone. I couldn’t let those tomatoes go to waste, so I frantically did an internet search on How to Freeze Tomatoes.
I wasn’t even sure I had time to freeze them. Cleaning, blanching, peeling, freezing, I thought it was going to take more time than I had to spare. Much to my surprise, when I searched How to Freeze Tomatoes, I found out, I could skip a few steps and get my tomatoes frozen until I was ready to use them. I plan on turning them into sauce and juice, later this fall.
As you can imagine doing the search for How to Freeze Tomatoes, came up with tons of information. I am a stickler for making sure canning and freezing is done correctly. I don’t want to do all that hard to work and then have the food spoil, because I didn’t process it correctly. When you search any topics on the internet, be sure you use a reputable site. I like to use college food and nutrition sites. Their information is free and trustworthy. I sourced the University of Lincoln - Nebraska to learn more about How to Freeze Tomatoes and write this post.
- Select ripe, free from blemish tomatoes.
- Wash the tomatoes. - Do not use soap! Rinse each tomato under warm running water (do not fill sink with water, the tomatoes will just be swimming in dirty water)
- Allow tomatoes to dry. (you can wipe them with clean paper towels)
- Remove the stem end from each tomato.
- Arrange tomatoes on a cookie sheet or muffin tin and freeze until solid. (3 - 4 hours)
- Place tomatoes in freezer containers or bags.
- Freeze for up to 8 months.
When ready to use tomatoes, run briefly under warm water and the skins should slip right off. You will be able to use the tomatoes in any cooked recipe. You definitely won’t be able to use them like fresh tomatoes in sandwiches or salads.
I was so excited that I could freeze the tomatoes with the skin on! I have 3 gallon size bags of tomatoes waiting for me in the freezer. As soon as it cools off a bit, I plan to make homemade sauce.
Did you know how to freeze tomatoes?
About Michele Brosius
THANK YOU! I’m, quite simply, not in the mood to can tomatoes this week, and my husband just brought in a huge bowl full of them. I am thrilled with this idea. THIS, I can do!