There’s nothing I hate more in the summer than standing over a hot stove for hours on end canning up tomatoes. I’d much rather be out in the pastures playing with the animals or sitting under the ceiling fan on the porch enjoying a book and an iced cold glass of tea, but that’s just me. However summertime always finds me with mountains of ripe, delicious tomatoes that need to be preserved before they go bad. So on those days when I can’t bear to spend an exorbitant amount of time in front of the pressure cooker I dig out my Ziplock freezer bags and process up my tomatoes for the freezer. Freezing tomatoes (or tomato sauces) is super easy, and doesn’t take more than a few minutes of your time; and when thawed out you’ll have fresh from the garden tasting tomatoes ready to be incorporated into your meals.
When it comes to freezing tomatoes, it’s really about preference. I prefer a ‘crushed’ tomato as opposed to tomato juice since I can always make my sauces more smooth by running the tomatoes through the blender or food processor before adding them to my cooking. But for things like stews and pasta sauces I like something with a bit of substance to it, and I find that a crushed tomato sauce works much better. I have also been known to up whole tomatoes to use in chili and lasagna recipes. However, if you prefer a smooth tomato sauce, you go right ahead!
** One other point about freezing tomatoes that should be considered before you begin is whether you want skin-on or skinless tomatoes. Again, I’ve done it both ways depending on the amount of time (and energy) I have. If you want skinless tomatoes the process will take longer as you’ll have to blanch the tomatoes in order to loosen the skins. This will add additional time to your overall processing time, however if you don’t like skins then its well worth it. To blanch the tomatoes you’ll need to make a small X in the bottom of each tomato (coring is not necessary unless you don’t like them) and drop the tomato in a large stockpot of boiling water. The amount of blanching time will vary depending on the size of the tomatoes and the thickness of the skins. I just watch them, and when I see the skins beginning to blister and roll back around the X mark I remove them with a slotted spoon to a bucket of ice water. Once the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, carefully slip the skins off the tomatoes. If they were blanched long enough the skins should slide off in your hand, although sometimes you have to use a small coring knife to ease the skins off of greener spots. Once all your tomatoes have been skinned you’re able to proceed with the freezing process. **NOTE: I do not recommend freezing whole, skin-on tomatoes as the skins seem to get really tough, however if you’re planning on processing your frozen/thawed tomatoes through a food processor or blender before using them and you don’t mind the skins then you can leave them on. I’ve just never had good luck this way.**
What you’ll need to freeze tomatoes:
* Freezer bags (make sure the bags are ‘freezer’ quality as the thinner bags will not hold up to the expanding tomatoes and will get frostbite very
quickly). I recommend gallon sized and quart sized bags – pints are just too small.
* Lemon juice (optional)
* Salt (optional) (I use Kosher or canning salt, but regular table salt is just fine in this application)
* Tomatoes
How to freeze tomatoes: (‘crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce)
1. Before you begin, mark all your freezer bags with a permanent marker – you’ll want to label the bags with the contents as well as the date so you can easily identify your tomatoes from other items in your freezer. There’s nothing worse than digging through your freezer and pulling out something unlabeled and unidentifiable.
2. If you’re freezing skinless tomatoes follow the blanching instructions above before you proceed. Quarter the tomatoes, removing any bruises or bad spots, and place in a blender or food-processor. Add in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of salt (if using) for each quart of tomatoes. Pulse the tomatoes a few times to reach the consistency you want. I usually pulse 3 to 4 times for ‘crushed tomatoes’. Pour the processed tomatoes into the freezer bags – filling the bags no more than three-quarters full. As you seal the bag, gently squeeze as much air out of the bag as possible. Lay the bags out on a flat surface like a large cookie sheet or in a cake pan, spreading the tomatoes out as much as you can in the bag. You can stack the bags up, but not more than 5 high or else the weight could rupture the bottom bag leaving you with a mess.
3. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer and allow to freeze for 24 to 48 hours, depending on how many bags of tomatoes you’ve got. Once the
tomatoes are frozen solid you can remove them from the cookie sheet and stack them up. Thaw in the refrigerator or on the defrost setting on your microwave before use, or add frozen to soups and stews. Frozen tomatoes keep well for up to 12 months.
How to freeze tomatoes: (whole tomatoes)
1. Before you begin, mark all your freezer bags with a permanent marker – you’ll want to label the bags with the contents as well as the date so you can easily identify your tomatoes from other items in your freezer. There’s nothing worse than digging through your freezer and pulling out something unlabeled and unidentifiable.
2. Blanch, cool, and remove the skins, saving as much of the tomato juice as you can during this process (see above paragraph on blanching). Place whole tomatoes in gallon-sized freezer bags, filling no more than three-quarters full. Divide any saved juice evenly among the bags. Add in 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 2 teaspoons of salt (if using). Seal bags, carefully squeezing out as much air as possible. Lay the bags on a flat surface like a cookie sheet or cake pan, spreading the tomatoes out as much as possible. You can stack the bags of tomatoes up, but no more than 4 or 5 high as the weight could burst the bottom bag, leaving you with a big mess.
3. Freeze the tomatoes for 24 – 48 hours, or until solid. Thaw in the refrigerator or on the defrost setting in the microwave before using, or add frozen to soups and stews. Frozen tomatoes keep well for up to 12 months.
That’s all there is to it! Super simple, quick, and when winter is at its bleakest and all you can find in the supermarket are notional tomatoes you’ll be able to grab a bag of garden fresh tomatoes from your freezer and whip up a fresh batch of fresh tomato soup that will remind you of sunny days and cool glasses of iced tea. Enjoy!
I have not tried freezing sauces yet, but I like the idea. Thanks for sharing!