If you love tomatoes like we do, you probably always have a
few cans of several varieties in your pantry, or you plant more plants you know
what to do with.
I do not think I have
ever taken a count of how many cans of tomatoes I use each year. I know the
number has to be quite high, since in the cold season it seems I reach for a
can or two every few days.
Since the tomatoes plants, I planted did not care for all of
the rain we had this summer, I bought a twenty-five pound box of tomatoes from
my good friends Marshall Farms, over the state border in Ararat, Virginia.
My birthday was a few short months ago and I asked my husband
for one of two things, a pressure cooker or a freezer. I got the freezer, and I
have been doing my best to fill with produce from the farmers market for the
winter. With tomatoes, you safely cannot water bath process unless you increase
the acid with citric acid or lemon juice, plus salt.
A few things you need to know
before you decide to freeze tomatoes:
Look
for tomatoes that are firm, deeply colored, well shaped, and heavy for their size .
They
should be free from blemishes, pests, and have a fragrant aroma.
Perfectly
ripe tomatoes will give just slightly to palm pressure.
Ready to get started?
In a 4-5 quart pot, heat
water to boiling
While waiting for the water to
boil, wash tomatoes thoroughly to remove any dirt or pesticides
Once water is boiling
Place tomatoes in batches
of four to five tomatoes in the pot,
Scald for up to 1 minute,
or until skin splits. You may cut a shallow X on the
bottom of each tomato to promote skin splitting. I usually do not do this step,
myself.
Remove from
the hot water and immediately dunk into cold water. If you are doing a large amount of tomatoes, you
will need to replace this water frequently or add ice to keep the water cold.
Why do you need to dunk the tomatoes in cold water? Dunking in cold water will
prevent the tomatoes from continuing to cook.
When the
tomatoes are cool, enough to handle you can use either a knife or your hands
and peel the skin away. I like to remove the core at this time as well. The
tomatoes that did not split, you can usually get the entire skin to remove at
the same time.
I chose to
leave the tomatoes whole for freezing. You may slice, chop, or crush them to your
liking.
If you
choose to store your tomatoes in containers (such as jars) to freeze, make sure you leave
about 1 inch of headspace, otherwise you will run the risk of popping the tops.
I personally use
freezer storage bags, and place about six tomatoes in each bag.
Make sure label
each bag or container with the contents and the date.
The date is important; tomatoes
in the freezer are usually only good for ten months.
