Freezing Tomatoes

Last weekend, we visited a pumpkin patch and farm to kick off the fall season. They had a big tomato sale going on- 25 pounds of tomatoes for $10- wow! So we bought a box and for the first time ever, I tried my hand at preparing and preserving crushed and diced tomatoes.

The process was surprisingly simple. It made a big mess in my kitchen, but it was worth it! I I ended up with about 25 cups of tomatoes, so I should be set for awhile for pasta sauces and soups to come!

Directions

1. Boil a large pot of water (I actually boiled 2 pots of water to maximize my productivity)
   
2. Place tomatoes in boiling water (don’t overcrowd the pan)
   
3. Allow them to boil 30-60 seconds (you will see the skin start to peel away- remove them when you see this happening. If the skins aren’t peeling yet, leave them in there a little longer).
4. Remove the tomatoes with a ladle and IMMEDIATELY place them in a large bowl of ice (tip: you might want to buy a bag of ice in advance of this process- the ice maker in my fridge ran out of ice)
   
5. Peel the skin off the tomatoes (this is super easy since they have been boiled) and discard the skins
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Cut the tomatoes in half and remove the excess seeds and juice (I then placed them in a colander over a bowl to allow excess moisture to drip out)
   
7. Crush or dice the tomatoes as desired (I diced the ones that were a little firmer and crushed the softer ones. You can use a potato masher or your hands for the crushing)
   
8. Transfer the tomatoes into freezer ziplocs (I measured with a measuring scoop first). Be sure to press out any extra air and lay flat. Then freeze. These will stay good for up to 12 months!