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JennGM
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| Posted: Aug 20 2014 at 11:54am | IP Logged
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Our tomatoes are finally ripening. I'm still not ready to take up canning, but I was trying to think of other ways to preserve our tomatoes for the year.
this post talks about freezing tomatoes.
I was thinking of freezing peeled tomatoes in glass jars....she mentions that as a possibility. Has anyone tried this?
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Servant2theKing
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| Posted: Aug 20 2014 at 12:45pm | IP Logged
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If I remember right, the quality of the tomatoes is mushy; basically making them suitable only for sauces. They still have a fresher taste than canned. I've only frozen peeled tomatoes in freezer bags.
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millermom1110
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My experience has been that it depends on the variety of tomato. I froze a bunch of German Johnson beefsteak tomatoes last year because I didn't have enough coming in at one time to can. So I froze them in batches with the intent of thawing them to can later on. When I did thaw them, they were very mushy. That's an understatement. They were really almost pure water/juice. I ended up really not being able to use them.
If you have a paste tomato like a Roma or San Marzano, you'd probably have better luck. I grew some San Marzanos this year in hopes of better results after freezing, but I haven't tried it yet.
If you only have beefsteaks or slicing tomatoes that you want to freeze, you might have better luck if you make them into a sauce or salsa and then froze it in batches. I just harvested about a peck of tomatoes today and am trying to muster the energy to do something with them. Between VBS, my husband being out of town for a few weeks, and 1st trimester ick, I'm just not feeling very domestic!
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JennGM
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| Posted: Aug 20 2014 at 2:04pm | IP Logged
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I'm reluctant to use the plastic bags, just because of the BPA thing.
The suggestion for making a sauce first is helpful.
When I make salsa I have to remove seeds and drain the tomatoes....it's a lot of extra juice. Did you do that before freezing yours?
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Jennifer G. Miller
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millermom1110
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| Posted: Aug 20 2014 at 3:52pm | IP Logged
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JennGM, I did drain and seed them before freezing. I really think it was the variety I had. They were huge, and had tons and tons of juice. German Johnson tomatoes are known for being very large (I had some that were nearly 2 lbs!). And apparently they're mostly juice, not a lot of flesh. Great for eating fresh, just not so great for preserving. It was a lesson learned. I know now to specifically choose varieties that are good for salsa and sauce making, because that's my main purpose in growing tomatoes in the first place.
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tm2boys
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| Posted: Aug 21 2014 at 7:52am | IP Logged
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We have been freezing tomatoes for several years now. We love to throw a couple handfuls of frozen cherry tomatoes into crockpot dishes. They melt into the the crockpot dishes for a wonderful flavor we love.
This year I have been freezing our roma tomatoes before making them into sauce and it has been such a success that we will not be parboiling any more! We wash and flash freeze tomatoes on a tray in the freezer, then package them for storage.
When I want to make sauce I take them out, run under water till the skins rub off easily, chop the still partially frozen tomatoes (they will not splat juice all over the kitchen in this state- you can control your chop size better), and make into sauce using our traditional recipes. Sauce stores so well for us, with our limited freezer space, in flat bags and we use the sauce in a variety of recipes. It is soooo much easier than keeping the kids away as I stand over a boiling pot parboiling tomatoes, melting ice in bowls in the sink as to not burn my hands trying to peel the tomatoes, and cleaning up splashed tomato juice from the kitchen walls after chopping still hot tomatoes (they can really hold their heat even with all that ice). Working with frozen cut down my work time, mess, and stress (no burnt fingers).  It also allows me to make sauce on my schedule so as not to lose tomatoes to over ripening.
Romas are very fleshy. If you are working with a different tomato, millermom1110's suggestion of juicing and deseeding before freezing may be a really good idea.
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: Freezing Tomatoes
