Freezing Tomatoes

The last of this year's garden has come and gone. The temperatures are dropping in the evenings so I think we're finished. I have done the traditional canning tomatoes for juice and chili but with the number of tomatoes I had and Vivienne running all over I knew that wasn't an option so I found a website that gave directions for freezing them. So simple! The website is pickyourown.org. I pretty much followed the directions on their site but I put what I did below for your enjoyment.

1. Wash the tomatoes. Obvious, right but that's the first step!

2. Boil water. While the water is boiling, fill another bowl with cold water and ice. Add the tomatoes, a few at a time, to the boiling water. You only want them in there for a 1 or so. They get mushy fast so keep an eye on them. Sometimes the skin will start to come off on its own. Using a slotted spoon, move the tomatoes from the boiling water to the ice water. It's much easier to handle them after a cold soak.

3. You can see in the above picture some of the skins easily peeling off. Pile the tomatoes from the ice water onto a cutting board. They only need to be in the ice water a minute or two, just long enough to cool off. I boiled all the tomatoes before moving to the next step because it's messy!

4. Once you have a stack of tomatoes, cut the peels off. They should slide off easily without much effort. For large tomatoes, cut them in half and, using your fingers, scoop out the seeds and watery part in the middle. You'll be left with what looks like a boat, hollow in the middle. For smaller tomatoes that are mushy, you can just squeeze them and the seeds will come out. Don't worry if you don't get all of them out.

All the peels and middles. Messy sink!

Hollowed tomatoes, ready to freeze.

5. I use quart Ziploc bags for freezing. I usually put two cups in each bag but I don't measure them out exactly. After filling the bags about 3/4 of the way, close the bag, getting all the air out. Then freeze!! I put up four bags this batch, three bags a previous batch. I can't wait for that fresh tasting chili and homemade pasta sauce this winter!