Quick Tomato Preserving

Quick Tomato Preserving

Preserving food is a wonderful, satisfying activity that makes me look forward to the winter and feel good about my level of self-sufficiency. However, it is an activity that you can’t plan for- nature decides when the harvest will explode and then you have to react. But with our busy lives, you can’t always drop everything and can your large harvest on a moment’s notice. This is where freezers save the day. Follow these few steps for a quick way to process your tomatoes and save the majority of the time-intensive steps for another day.

Blanching and Freezing your Tomatoes

After your tomatoes are frozen, you can thaw them for cooking or canning, on a day you have more time.

1.     Rinse off your tomatoes and cut off any stems or blemishes

2.     Boil a large pot of water and drop the tomatoes into the water

3.     Wait for the water to return to a boil, then let the tomatoes remain in the water for 5 minutes

4.     Remove the tomatoes and submerge them in a large bowl of ice water for 5 minutes

5.     Remove the tomatoes and easily peel off the skin

6.     Place the tomatoes in a freezer bag, squeeze out excessive water

7.     Tomatoes can be frozen for about a year