Got a lot of tomatoes coming in from your garden and wondering how to preserve them? We had that problem just this past weekend. We got a LOAD of tomatoes from our CSA and well, a lot of them needed to be processed right away or we were going to lose them to the compost pile. Freezing tomatoes might just be the solution.
I will be writing a post in the near future on homemade sun-dried tomatoes, but today I am going to share with you the absolute easiest way to preserve tomatoes that I didn't even know you could do until a few years ago.
Did you see my post on The Easiest Way to Preserve Herbs a few weeks ago?
Well, this technique is just as simple as that.
Did you know that you can freeze tomatoes?
I didn't. But boy, was I happy this weekend when I found out that you can!
Over the past few days we processed almost 80 pounds of tomatoes. I know, sounds crazy.
I thought that I'd have more time than just 2 days to go through them, but they were a lot “farther along” in the ripening process than we thought initially, so we needed to move fast.
A good number of them ended up in my dehydrator and they have made amazing sun-dried tomatoes.
And then we made at least 5 batches of what I think may be The Best Salsa Ever.
But the dehydrator takes awhile, and there is only so much salsa that we can eat, and so — to keep all those beauties from spoiling and since I don't know how to can yet (and didn't have time to learn :-)), I had to lean on freezing tomatoes, which is the absolute easiest way to preserve them.
(By the way, for those of you wondering about the cost of preserving produce, I have a nifty cost analysis of food preservation in my post on “Which Saves Most – Dehydrating, Canning, or Freezing?”)
If you have the freezer space and no time, this is the way to go!
The Easiest Way to Preserve Tomatoes
1. Wash tomatoes.
2. Cut or process (for example, process slightly in food processor for crushed tomatoes) to desired size and texture.
3. Place a recipe-convenient amount of tomatoes with juice into bags. I put in about 3 1/2 cups (about as much as I could fit in my small bags. That's equivalent to a 28 oz. can of tomatoes. (I use small bags from Country Life Natural Foods [size 4 x 2 x 8 – and they are BPA-free!]. I buy them in super-bulk quantities since I use them so much and they are only about 2 cents each! There are similar ones on Amazon).
4. Secure with stable bag closures (these Twixit Clips are my go-to clips for everything in my house!!).
5. Drop Place bags in your freezer and you are done!
Do you like tips like these that make your life simpler? You can see other time saving nifty storage solutions in my posts on
- How to Store Nuts and Seeds
- The Easiest Way to Preserve Herbs
- How and Why to Store Prepared Beans
- Frugal Pantry Storage Tips
Now, if anyone lives in the West Michigan area and wants to get together to teach me how to can, I will be eternally grateful!
How do you preserve your garden bounty?
Have you ever tried freezing tomatoes?
I have never frozen raw tomatoes. I cook mine then let them cool and put in jars or containers. I have kept them a year or longer.
I actually have a box of tomatoes a neighbor brought over yesterday. I have to do them today.
Are you canning this time, then?
I froze some of them and canned some also.
I need to learn how to can. Can you believe I have only done it once in my life? Silly!!
With this method, how long can I keep tomatoes?
I’ve read about 3 months. Thanks for reading.
Hi
No offense, but I’m disappointed that you haven’t addressed what I’m searching for. If you know the best way to preserve not just tomatoes but all fruit or vegetables that you don’t want to can or freeze.
One example is, I’m talking about how we usually leave bananas, oranges n apples out on our table or counter but I recently read that we should refrigerate apples.
I don’t understand why that is, so I’m trying to figure out how to extend the life of ALL of my produce.
I’m trying to figure out what is the best way to preserve all of my produce that I buy for almost immediate use, not for way down the road for weeks later.
My husband and I don’t like to eat a lot of the same food just to keep it from going bad but we constantly find ourselves in that situation.
Another example is cucumbers, which is best to make it last throughout the week ? Usually I just slice very thinly a few slices for our sandwiches or salads. We eat it for nutritional benefits, not because we love it. But regardless if I leave it in the fridge or out on my counter, it seems to ripen at the same pace n I would love it immensely if you could provide me with a list of the best way to preserve the produce for just a few days longer or near immediate use please.
I was wondering if you have a list of preference for preserving everything. If you don’t have any such a list, maybe you would be so kind to refer me to some site that might.
Thanks for your time n help .
Shella
Hi there. Sorry but I don’t have that kind of information but I can consider it for future posts :). But “everything” would be a tall order :). Hope that makes sense. Maybe I can do an extensive list but I promise that “everything” will not be included. Are you hoping for more common produce items?
Freezing food is a super easy way to preserve all the goodies from the garden. I just started bringing in tomatoes myself.
Don’t forget to label those bags when you drop…er…place them in the freezer. You could end up playing the what-is-this/how-old-is-this game. No one likes that game by the way.