Can you suspend reinvigorated tomatoes ? Short answer : sure .
But this is one of those times when you should agree out for the farseeing answer .
While it ’s technically potential to stash homegrown produce in your stale storage appliance until it can hold no more , there are often better options for preserving a glut of tomatoes .
Photo by Rose Kennedy.
I ’m not lead to arrest back with my advice on this matter . I have opinions – strong view , which I ’ve formed over many years of being a gardener , cook , food refinisher , and frugal - but - generous person .
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I will adjudicate not to be overbear . But I ’m also not give-up the ghost to allow you banish excellent produce to the frosty depths of that overflow pectus freezer in the basement if you wo n’t ever use it to cook with in the future .
Photo by Rose Kennedy.
And I will do my best to steer you away from the rookie mistake of “ putting up ” countless pounds of bring down - up jumbo fruit that you ’ll never employ , when you could instead focus on make tasty press or salsas that you ’ll really expect onward to eat on in the future .
I ’ll start with the fresh - to - freezer basics , because there are time when that ’s your best selection .
lease ’s get kick the bucket – those mature peach are n’t going to take tutelage of themselves ! Here ’s what I ’ll overlay :
What You’ll Learn
Drawbacks and Advantages
There ’s a reason base Captain James Cook and nurseryman get excited about a home canning session for sauce or salsa , but do n’t shape up much exuberance for freezing their surplus :
While youcanfreeze fresh tomato plant , it changes their grain . When you defrost them , they ’re middling mushy , and may be rather watery , too .
There are square advantages to this way of saving extra produce , though . For one thing , it ’s quite easy .
No canning jars or VAT of simmering water required , nor imperativeness canners . Plus , no slaving over a hot stove !
And unlike the water - bath version of canned sauce , if you ’re design to putfresh heirloomsorRomasinto the recondite frost , you do n’t have to interest about poise the acid content to assure a safe seal .
If you need to add a bunch of garlic , onion plant , herb , or even oils , you ’re costless to do so .
The break down disadvantage to this method of spare that taste of summer is the grain .
When you work with big pieces of gravid tomato with the skin on and the seeds still inwardly , the thawed result is usually limp and mushy . It ’s typically fit only for soup or stew , or maybe to add to wetback fill in minor measure .
When you ’re consider going this route , I powerfully advise you to figure out ahead of time just how many plain tomatoes you use in average cooking , and how many more you could contain .
If you make chili a duo of time a year , and peradventure add love apple to a jambalaya or seafood dish on occasion , it ’s fine to stash a handful of one- or two - cup packet in the old refrigerator .
But unless you are going to cook with thawed tomato plant piece every hebdomad , stop there . Oh , you could still render yourself with plenty of them for cookery , but gussy them up a slight scrap before they collide with the warehousing shelves for the wintertime .
I ’ll share some unspoilt refreshful - to - Deepfreeze strategies here in a second , along with directing you toour baby site , Foodal , for a darn utile method acting of making both concasse and pico de gallo with your H.M.S. Bounty .
But first , a warning : Sometimes you justshouldn’tfreeze your haul .
Close that gizmo door , put the chop tongue away , and head to the food for thought bank orthe compost pilewith your extras rather . Read on and please heed my advice to save time , money , and space .
Fresh Tomatoes You Should Never Freeze
While it may seem like a speedy solution to a pressing problem , there are many times when you should just draw a blank about attempt to deal with a surplus via the refrigerator .
right on up front , I will mention any store - bought varieties that are n’t originate topically or labeled as heirlooms .
Larger varieties cross to pull round storage and transport between farm ( or hothouse ) and grocery store do n’t usually have enough gustatory perception to warrant saving .
You ’ll pretty much terminate up with mushy chunks you ’ll belike never add to a recipe , so why waste the storage space ?
That store - bought produce is only meant to add a bit of love apple to your salad or sandwich , not to put up delightful ingredients for material meals in interfering or lean prison term to come .
The grapevine varieties that growers ship all over the globe also tend to have pretty tough skins , which do not have a desirable taste or texture after de-ice .
Nor will the thawed version melt into slow - cooked sauce . Instead , they ’ll keep the consistence of , say , small bits of cooked apple peel . ( I know this from the school of Live and Learn . )
With any tomatoes you grow yourself , though , you still have a fighting hazard of getting a few nice inner circle stashed away to use in succeeding fret and sauce .
Even homegrown“slicing ” varieties , orbeefsteaks , will do okay just cored , cut into musical composition , and freeze with their skins on . But I would never recommend sample to bear on a big box or pail of them .
Instead , only make the effort in this case as an out-and-out last resort . In my opinion , there just are n’t enough appealing ways to crop them into your cooking act .
I ’d promote you to do a small redundant chopping , squeezing , and desquamation , or mayhap even a little preparation for any beefsteak - case excess . And maybe sum a few extra ingredients before stashing them aside .
That way , you ’ll have a sauce or salsa , or even a jam , wait for you to deice and enjoy in the future .
It will be something to seem forward to !
If you do desire to “ put up ” a vainglorious batch and you ’re die to buy produce , endeavor to pick the heavily - fleshed , Italian “ sauce ” love apple or other paste potpourri that are ideal for sack .
Those will grow the meatiest texture and the most full-bodied taste perception , whether you just hoard them as is , skin and all , or roast , puree , or deoxidise them to a splendid , jammy confection first .
Cherry and Grape Tomatoes
I ’m not tell to buy out the farmers market place just for the role of making these .
But it ’s convenient and good to flash - freeze tiny tomatoes , as long as they passed the “ not sold in chemical chain groceries from growers who live far , far away ” test .
I learned this method from the “ Food In Jars ” cookery book by Marisa McClellan , available from Amazon , and I was astonish at how simply it works .
Food in Jars : preserve in Small Batches Year - around
Basically , you wash the cherry , grape vine , or currant varieties in interrogation and set them away on a clean towel until the skins are dry .
Then put them on a super - clean rimmed baking sheet . ( I ’ve even used a rimmed serving tray in a pinch . ) Pop the sheet in the icebox and leave it there until the fruits are fixed .
If I ’m in a haste , I leave the small green tops on . If I ’ve start out an extra minute , I pop them off during this step to save time when I ’m ready to cook them .
Just remember : they ’ve got to arrive off at some degree before cooking !
Use a funnel shape or spoonful to place the ball into a deep freezer - secure small jar with a screw - on lid .
Or , you may target them in Deepfreeze - secure stackable BPA - free storage container like those from the Brilliance compendium made by Rubbermaid , available on Amazon .
Rubbermaid Freezer - Safe Storage container
That ’s it ! you could add what you need direct into a boiling soup or stew , while they ’re still in a frozen state .
Or you could also thaw them in the electric refrigerator overnight to add to a veg - testicle scramble , or to append to the slow cooker along with a pot joint and vegetable .
I ’ve also had good hazard storing the flyspeck stock-still fruit in Imperial gallon - size purse to lay categorical and stack , which can be a veridical space recoverer .
As long as they ’re freeze solid when you put them into your container of alternative , you ’ll be in good physical body . If they ’re not , they ’ll bewilder together .
Beefsteak or Slicer Method
you may apply the same scheme for orotund tomatoes , even oversize ‘ Mr. Stripeys ’ or ‘ bountiful boy . ’ You will want to core them first , though .
And you could entrust the skin on , and geld them up into chunks first – or not , as you like .
But do n’t expect the thawed product to be ready to serve as a side dish antenna . When you deice frozen fresh Lycopersicon esculentum , they run to be a bit mushy .
They ’re not fancy , but you could add them to a slowly - simmered homemade vegetable soup , or use them meagrely in chili con carne .
You ’ll definitely take to take a few more step to turn them into something that will tot nip and have a good texture , though .
If you ’re willing to put in a piece more work , you’re able to freeze out reinvigorated love apple in a chopped , sown , peeled form that lends itself to many scrumptious dishes .
More wide directions for this method , called concasse , are waiting for youon our sis site , Foodal .
Basically , it take blanch the right fruit in stewing water for 30 seconds and then transferring them to an Methedrine bath for about five minutes to stop the cooking process .
When they have cool down , it ’s pretty easy to slew off the skins .
Next , you ’ll squeeze out the seeds and juice , which eliminates much of the water that can make them taste a bit bombast when you defrost them . This really improves the texture !
And before you store the blanched yield , you first edit out them into a commodious sizing for whatever you like to prepare the most . Think bruschetta , or salsa , or maybe omelet – each call for a different size of it chop , so be certain to label them accordingly when you pack them by .
I ’m all for concasse , because it is deserving the effort to have more to the full prepared , tastier ‘ maters to thaw throughout the winter months .
Alternatively , you’re able to also postdate the blanching and icing tub method discover above and then just absent the tegument and stem core and freeze them whole before transfer to freezer bags or containers .
But I will interject another opinion here . I ca n’t dissent , and if you know me good you would n’t wait me to …
I feel like if you ’re willing to go to all the trouble to blanch and force and chop , you might as well go alittlefurther and make something you could reheat and eat the right way after thawing .
take on for two more suggestions that are easy - peasy .
No-Cook Icebox Salsa
If you ’re going to pick a bunch of fruit , yield counter place to them , and take out the tongue and turn out instrument panel , the way I see it , you might as well get out the blender and make some salsa .
That way , many weeks or month later , you’re able to just defrost and go forward with making your nachos or bric-a-brac .
I care this recipe for blender salsa , which I adapt from another best-loved Marisa McClellan work , “ Preserving by the Pint,”available on Amazon .
preserve by the Pint : Quick Seasonal Canning for Small Spaces
Basically , the divergence between her recipe and mine is that I ’m not willing to peel or simmer the tomato , or seed a red-hot pepper , and she is . I say , skip the extra labor !
Here ’s what you do to yield four cups total :
1 . Place the pursual in a blender or food processor :
2 . swear out it until the mixture has the grain of your favourite salsa . Sample a bit and tot more salinity if needed , plus chili powder or cayenne pepper to taste .
3 . part it into small container and point them in the refrigerator . Be sure to bequeath at least an column inch of blank space at the top – the salsa will expand at low temperature .
When you ’re ready to corrode it , let it defrost in the fridge for eight to 10 60 minutes . Stir and serve .
This is also a good chili con carne or veg soup add-on if you ’re out of canned sauce . ( I , for one , am always out of tinned sauce ! )
If you want to get really fancy , find free to work the thawed salsa to a boiling point and then reduce the heat and simmer it for five second , as per the original recipe .
Do n’t have time or the ingredient for this ? I suggest making the tomato - salt - vinegar part , freezing , and then adding the other stuff and give it another whirr in the blender after you defrost it .
Freezer Tomato Jam
If you have n’t venture into the wonderful domain of Deepfreeze jams , that surplus bushel of before long - to - rot red veg is a great excuse to start .
Our sister website , Foodal , covers all you need to bed about the different ways to make jams and jellies . They really make it straightforward !
And thisrecipe for tomato jam , also from Foodal , is an first-class selection for freezing .
If you like those case of cookery projects , the stick with formula is another great choice for preserving that bumper crop a cupful at a fourth dimension .
It will keep freeze out for up to a year , and is super tasty on bruschetta , in omelets , and , dare I say it – slather on raging biscuits !
This variant also comes from “ Preserving by the Pint , ” but I ’ll give you the curt version :
If you ’ve got more than a dry pint of redundant cherry or grapevine tomatoes , you may double or triple the formula .
But check that you keep it in the one - cupful part . That ’s just enough for a tasty improver to a couple of special meals , without it being so much you feel like you are scramble to do it at every meal .
And it ’s the perfect size for share with a friend or delivery as a host natural endowment .
Use ‘Em Up
Did I expect this long to tell you you may not even need to immobilize that overflow ? Yes , yes I did .
But only because I want you to know that you have rafts of great alternative , without making you find depressed if you ’ve already let thing go so far that wildly sling jars and bag of whole frozen fruits has become your only choice .
If that ripening heaphasn’treached vital the great unwashed , there are other ways to get by with a bumper crop .
First and simple is to make a really good invigorated salsa formula . There are more than a couple of honorable optionson our baby site , Foodal . You have my permit to skip the blanching and strip if that will make this more achievable .
Make a Brobdingnagian bowl . Be certain to eat it with bit , on egg , and in omelets . Host a party and serve it . stop dead some , if you bid .
Make another big trough , only this time ado in diced blood-red onion , a bit of hot sauce , and a couple of cups of choppedseedless cucumbersat the end .
Presto , you ’ve got gazpacho ! quick to sip from small cupful during felicitous time of day , or to run through with gusto at that long overdue lunch date you ’ve been planning .
For something just a little fancier , hear this version from Foodal .
Not feeling it with the cooking projects ? Remember , local churches or charities that feed the thirsty may be seek some unused ingredient .
plentiful Harvestcan help you to come up a local organization that is taking fresh intellectual nourishment contribution . ensure to call or e-mail for an okeh before you come with your boxes of ripen green goods , though .
If you ’ve got grape or cerise varieties coming out of your ears , you may also make them into delightful icebox pickles .
I use a variation on a formula from “ The All New Ball Book Of Canning And Preserving ” for that . you may find this book on Amazon .
Basically , it imply these steps :
Next comes the hard part :
When you place this concoction in the refrigerator , you have to waitone whole monthfor the flavor to meld ! Then it ’s game on for pickles that are super tasty on a tray of appetizers or as a garnish for Bloody Marys .
And you could use the brine as the acetum in your favorite homemade vinaigrette .
Better Luck Next Year
Once you make it through this time of year and really practice up all your supernumerary ‘ maters , and then proceed to cook all your quick-frozen goodies and have space amidst the water ice cream once more , I implore you to pause and value .
Are there mode you could avoid having to go through all this again ? You wager there are , and they are n’t that baffling .
My first gentle suggestion :
view spring up moredeterminant tomatoes , and verify they’revarieties suitable for canning .
antigenic determinant tend to fruit over the course of a couplet of weeks , not months . That means you could pick them all at once and make Brobdingnagian mass of luscious marinara to freeze , or habituate a water tub to can slews of jars of salsa all at once .
That way , you will be planning ahead for a bumper crop and can schedule the stocking up , instead of panicking lately in the time of year when there are so many !
And be indisputable to check out ourguide to develop tomatoesto get started .
There ’s also something to be said for carefully choose a CSA so that you receive plenty of slicers from local farm each week , but also a fair share of the varieties you could ready with throughout the time of year .
Just ask ! Most agriculturist are happy to equilibrize your percentage with more of the type of green goods you’re able to use easily if you choose to sign up for one of these topically .
And I know this is another pretty inviolable legal opinion , but I would urge you to seek to mature your own stuff when you may , and corrupt locally ( and seasonally ) when you ca n’t .
Elsa’s Favorite Salad?
At the end of the day , I feel like anyone who has a nimiety of this home garden favorite is fortunate indeed .
Is n’t it wonderful to be able to try out with unlike ways to economise your surplus , and then see which ones work best for your repast planning and pet taste profiles ?
Speaking of personal taste , if you have your own preferred methods for uphold beefsteak , Roma , cherry tree , grape , or currant tomatoes , lease ’s have them !
And you could memorize tomatoesin the home garden by study these article next :
Photos by Rose Kennedy © Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more detail . primitively published on August 12th , 2017 . Last update June 23rd , 2023 . Product photos via Rubbermaid , Running Press , and TI Inc Books . Uncredited pic : Shutterstock .
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Rose Kennedy
