You are right - freezing is way easier. However, if you don’t want to use power & freezer space, canned tomatoes can sit on a pantry shelf with no power needed.
Exactly why I cook my tomatoes down and can them. Condense, store, no energy needed. Then buy some solar charging battery powered lights. So, if you cant get gas for your generator you are still good. The main idea of being prepared is to not need an outside sources, in any event that could happen, earthquake, tornado, etc....
I doubt that anyone has tested this scientifically. My guess is that the hours and energy required to boil off the moisture of fresh tomatoes is much greater than all the water that comes off in the freezing and thawing process. Plus, freezing affords the benefit of building a stockpile of "fresh" stock until the needed quantity is reached.
The amount of power required to do the canning would probably be about the same amount of power required to run a freezer for a year....especially if you did multiple , or long canning sessions. Freezer space I can't argue with.......it depends on what you want to freeze and how much space you have there..... But I wouldn't let power be a deciding factor, because, even if you don't use about 200KW of power to do your canning, (which is about what a freezer uses in a year) if you already have a freezer, it's going to be running anyway, so.....the power you would use to do the canning would automatically be more than you would use if you froze them.
Been doing this for over 50 years and like you show, it makes processing the tomatoes a lot easier. One small difference. We just put the tomatoes directly in zip lock bags and then into the freezer.
I love preserving tomatoes this way. Thank you for your comment. You definitely have had great success with this method if you have been doing this for more than 50 years. Thank you for watching! 😉
I do exactly like you described. I don’t bother peeling them. When it’s time to use them I defrost as many I want, then I can peel them if necessary. But mostly I don’t bother. I just throw it in the soup or stew pot! Simple and time saving! I’m lucky to have a freezer chest in my garage for frozen produce from my garden.
@@jmcfamilyfarm I agree it is an easy way to start but I prefer canned long term. They will last longer and power outages do not affect them unless where they are stored literally freezes. We rarely have multiple days of outages but they do in Florida and I think California.
Hi, I cut mine into pieces, run through the blender, put into glass containers (or freezer bags) then into the freezer. Takes less space that way. Then when making chili, take out, dump into a pot (with olive oil) and boil down to whatever consistency wanted (I usually mix with a store bought can). Works for me, but I have a small garden- I just use the freezer section of the fridge.
Thank you so much for your comment. That’s a great idea too! That would definitely take up a lot less space in your freezer. I’m sure this will help someone else reading these comments. Thank you so much.
Sorry …. Just to clarify your question. After I defrost tomatoes I always make something with them. For example pasta sauce. The tomatoes are being cooked/boiled at that point. The sauce is then fine to freeze. Does that answer your question? Please let me know. 😊
Thank you for this video. I just spent roughly two hours in the kitchen blanching and peeling tomatoes to freeze. This will be a much faster process and it looks so easy to peel when you use them. I also like the idea of being able to take out one or two tomatoes at a time.
Freezing Tomatoes don't need to blanch, they can be as they are once washed. Freeze as whole, chopped, sliced, or peree. Good for up to 12 months frozen, then used in cooked recipes.
I kill the enzymes first by blanching the tomatoes in hot water 2 mins, then into ice bath. I peel the skins and blend into a pulp. I then add to a pan with some chopped basil and boil 2 mins. That blend is then divided into 2 cup increments to go into freezer bags flat for freezing. When frozen I can store like books on a shelf, taking up little space but in the 2 cup increments I can use for spaghetti's and chili's etc during winter months. I only make enough to last one year because in 9b Sacramento, my next tomatoes are ready for harvest in late June. Thanks for those tips.
I’ve thrown tomatoes in a bag, and straight into the freezer, skipping the step of freezing on a cookie sheet. They were great and they didn’t stick together. Now I squish them into canning jars using my Vitamix tool and freeze, as it takes up a lot less space than putting them in whole. I thawed the jars last night, about 16 of them, and canned them today. I grow tomatoes both to eat fresh and use in sauce throughout the year. There’s just no way I would ever have near enough room in my freezer for all of those tomatoes! I love to pressure can them. It takes so much less time than water bath and I can always find room to store them.
Thank you for sharing. I have skipped the ‘cookie sheet’ step too & it worked just fine. I was running out of time one day & thought it was worth a try. 😊. I haven’t attempted to can things yet. I know some people that freeze the tomatoes & once they have time to can them, pull them out of the freezer & start the canning process. The benefit is the skin comes off easily after the tomatoes have been frozen. I do love freezing tomatoes because it’s quick. I wanted to share this idea for people just learning to preserve their own food. Someday I will learn to can things. I know my grandma would be very proud if I did. She always canned tons of things. I just never learned. Thank you for watching.
I had too many tomatoes once, due to an early freeze forcing us to pick everything, even the green ones. Sitting in a box in the kitchen, they ripened slowly over the next month, but we reached the point where we just were sick of tomatoes. We just froze the rest, especially the cherry tomatoes. The freezing process burst them all, but they made a nice chunky pasta sauce.
I had a bunch of green tomatoes a couple of years ago and made green tomato picalilli. It has become a huge hit with the people I give it to. Great with hot dogs.
I want to can, I've watched SO many videos and I'm desperate to give it a go BUT... I'm in the UK, and noone in my connections has even heard of canning. Freezing my tomatoes is a good stop gap! Thank you, we're 4 years in to growing our own vegetables and starting to produce good amounts of tomatoes.
I love freezing tomatoes and zucchini. For me it’s a quick way to preserve some things from my garden. Please let me know if you have any other questions. 😊
You are half right :) We freeze our tomatoes in large bags as they ripen during the summer. And when the crop is finished yielding we pull the frozen tomatoes out and let them thaw, in the bags, in the bath tub. This releases a huge amount of water-which we then (do not have to boil off) drain off and make spaghetti and pizza sauce, ketchup and juice-and can them. This saves a ton of energy and process time.
great info thank you! I was wondering what I was going to do as all the ingredients for salsa, sauces etc seem to be ready at different times. This week is 25 lbs of bell peppers dicing and freezing and dehydrating a portion.
I’m glad this was helpful. It is tough when all the right produce isn’t ready when you need it. Homemade salsa is delicious. Summer is sometimes so busy too that we need little tricks to help with food storage. 😊
@@jmcfamilyfarm My husband (this is his account lol) goes thru salsa so fast I end up making 3 batches per year it seems. Trying to get ahead of the game with at least my fresh ingredients either frozen or dehydrated. The frozen tomatoes is new to me so excited as I've been relying on canned stuff from the store previously. I have bad fibro and thinking about doing it all at once is stressful.
I wish you would of said something about the Taste and consistency. Most items undergo changes once Frozen. However thanks for the tip, definitely easier than canning.
Thank you for the feedback. You are absolutely correct. The texture of the tomato does change once it’s frozen. It’s similar to a stewed tomato consistency. I use frozen tomatoes for stews, sauces, etc. Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment. 😊
I watched your video this last summer. I did freeze alot of tomatoes and you are so right! How easy it was and i actually prefer this tomatoe flavor than my canned tomatoes. I still canned some cuz the thought of loosing power is always on my mind. Thanks so much!
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. That’s great feedback. This method works so great for me. It’s hard if you are in an area that has frequent power outages. That would be a worry for sure. Thank you for watching. 😉
Nice. I'm going to try freezing tomatoes this year. That's the same way I freeze blueberries, on a baking sheet. I double bag my blueberries though. I put them in either food storage/bread bags or zip lock sandwich bags & then place that bag in a freezer bag. My blueberries stored a year ago in that fashion still have no frost on them.
Canning requires lots of space and reduces nutrition. Freezing holds your food hostage to power outages or equipment failure. We discovered dehydration a few years back and never looked back. With tomatoes we store dehydrated slices since the high sugar content makes the powder clump but they are easily made into powder as we need it. Powdered tomato makes instant sauce or paste and in less time than thawing anything from the freezer. We love it.
I like this idea. I hate peeling warm tomatoes. It's too acidic for my hands. I just recently took out of my freezer peeled tomatoes from last year and made deer stew. Yum! Thx for this video
I can some. But you are correct it is so much easier to freeze your tomatoes . I only use the tomatoes in soup so they work perfect for me when i freeze them in cups. I do process them exactly like I do for canning. But then put them in freezer containers . Works perfect for soups.
I froze my San Marzano tomatoes for a couple of years. They looked OK but I noticed they didn't have the flavor I wanted for making sauces. I found research done on chilling tomatoes which reported that "flavor volatiles" were significantly reduced my simply chilling tomatoes in the refrigerator for 8 days. There was no reduction in food value with chilling or freezing, but flavor was significantly affected.
Freeze them as shown but if you are making a sauce with them thaw and blenderize. Skins and all. Do you peel your tomatoes for a salad or sandwich? There is a lot of nutrition in the peels and it does not have a negative impact on the taste or texture of your sauce. If you must peel them, the peels can be dehydrated and ground to powder to thicken and flavor any dish you like.
I don't remember us having zip lock bags when I was a kid, I'm kinda old. BUT... I do remember mom putting them in old bread bags and cool whip containers to freeze.
Thank you, thank you , thank you, I subscribed. I too am overwhelmed with fantastic tomatoes, and will use your method starting today. Why in the world didn't I think of this. I'll try doing this with tomatillos also, I have a huge amount.
Hi From Castlegar British Columbia Canada .You have Great looking Tomatoes , I freeze the smaller ones and slice and freeze the big ones Great show thanks Richard
Great idea. Thanks for sharing. I live in Louisiana and grow tomatoes until frost kills them. Late March to almost Thanksgiving. I'll do this using my vacuum sealer. I've got 36 plants of various varieties in all different stages of growth. Just sprouted another dozen to be ready to transplant in two weeks. This solves the problem of what to do with all of my San Marzano tomatoes. They are not slicers they are strictly a sauce tomato.
We would freeze our tomatoes for weeks until we were ready to can them. One day, a frozen tomato fell out of the freezer. Out teething newfie puppy pounced on it and chewed it. It gave her tender gums relief. After that she got a frozen tomato each day. Then she tried to pick her own tomatoes from the garden like she did with black berries. Good video. Good Luck, Rick
Lol!!! Oh, I love this! Thank you for sharing. I’m sure your pup was surprised about the texture of that fresh tomato. 🤣 Pretty smart pup you have. Our lab LOVES frozen strawberries. He drools waiting for one as soon as he hears the bag. Thanks so much for watching. 😉
@@jmcfamilyfarmThat was 40 years ago. Kachina was exceptionally smart, strong, and protective of my wife when I wasn't around. As a puppy she had to stand on her hind legs to pick black berries and looked very cute. For some reason that roll of film didn't come out. One day she decided to pick a zucchini. The plant came with it which scared her. She ran around the yard being chased by that plant. Martha had to rescue her. I miss both of them. Martha died from a tick bite. Good Luck, Rick
@richardross7219 …. Kachina sounds incredibly smart! Dogs are pretty amazing. I’m sorry about your wife. You must miss her. Ticks have increased in our area significantly over the past few years. I ended up with a tick on my leg this spring. Thankfully I found it before it became engorged.
I stopped canning tomatoes about 10 years ago. It's a lot of work but we actually got tired of the taste/quality of canned. We dry about 20%. Core and freeze about 30%, and the remainder we process into pasta and pizza sauces and freeze in pint and quart Mason jars. Pull them out of the freezer a day early, put them in the fridge, ready to go for dinner the next evening. Most of the jars we actually have them 100% ready to go. Onions,peppers,sausage, spices, and cheeses so all we do is heat.
Thank you so much for sharing. How do you dry your tomatoes? I should try that! I make lots of pasta sauce too. One of my favourite dinners. Thank you for taking the time to comment. 😊
We use an electric dehydrator. I've experimented with sun drying and oven drying with mixed results. The dehydrator is quite foolproof once you get the hang of it. There's a lot of info available on line to assist with learning this process. We dry all kinds of fruits and vegetables every summer so it was worth the investment. Probably $100 bucks 10 years ago.
That's great to know! I did some canning this summer but ran out of steam to finish canning the last of my tomatoes so they are in my freezer and I keep wondering how best to use them! Yay for seeing this! I make stews and soups all winter/year long so that's great news. Thank you!
I’m so glad this was helpful for you. Canning definitely takes a lot more time. As long as you have the space in your freezer this is a perfect solution. The frozen tomatoes also work great for pasta sauce too. Thank you so much for taking the time to watch! 😊
The idea of canning (or what we call bottling in Australia) is that your food is safe if there's a power failure and also freezing requires ongoing use of energy whereas your jars in the pantry are good for ages and require no further use of energy
That is exactly what I was thinking. Freezing is great until the power goes out for 24 hours then you though it all away. Canning (or bottling) lasts essentially for ever without any need to work about anything but the jars breaking.
Honestly, canning tomatoes isn’t hard. Once I learned to do the jars in the oven and take out, one at a time, it was a game changer. I use mine for soups and salsa.
Thanks so much for this amazing video. I don't have a garden, and can't even grow a cactus plant!! However, tomatoes are a regular part of my diet - LOVE me a nice, big, fat, juicy, loaded-down salad! My store-bought tomatoes don't always last as long as I'd like, sometimes even sprouting from the inside. With this video on freezing tomatoes, I won't be wasting any more - money. Liked & Subscribed. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!
Thank you for this! I just harvested some and have more on my counter and going on vacation soon😮 I have no time for canning. Thanks commenter community as well✌🏽
My tomatoes are a little smaller. I had to ripen them in a bag in the pantry. Had to harvest before a freeze. I've washed them and they are ready for the freezer. We'll see how it works out. Thank you for sharing
You don’t have to put them in a bag to ripen them if you don’t want to; you can just leave them in a bowl on the counter or the table, etc. and they’ll ripen that way. The advantage to that is there right in the open so you don’t have to keep checking a bag to see what level of rightness they’ve reached.
I just put 42 jumbo freezer bags of tomatoes in freezer using this method. When I need any for a meal, I place them in a pot, warm on very low heat, thaw and when they’re soft, I strain liquid off, add spices, purée and I have a delightful tomato sauce that hasn’t had the daylights cooked out of it. I don’t remove the skins or seeds and I find the sauce very tasty.
Wow!!!!! That is a lot of tomatoes! Homemade tomato sauce is amazing. Sounds like you have this down to a fine art. Thank you for sharing. Your method for preparing sauce will be so helpful for people reading the comments. Thank you.
I’ve frozen tomatoes before and it works well. Like you said saves time. The heirloom tomatoes this year are really cat faced and so far many are already chopped up and I will either fish the skins out at cooking or purée them as I’ve already cored them. It would save a lot of time upfront for fresh tomato use. Some can a lot of whatever they use the most to last 2 years and that sounded like a good idea, but I prefer to not keep canned goods for more than a year.
Thank you for your comment. It does save a lot of time up front. I agree with you about shelf life for canned goods. I’ll have to do some reading on expiration dates for canned fruits and vegetables. 2 years sounds pretty reasonable to me. 😉
I like this it is a cool idea. I just need more room in my big freezer to freeze on trays. Right now it is crammed with bags of frozen tomatoes and bags of bell peppers. I am saving them up to make spaghetti sauce to can again this year.
Thank you. 😊 I have just put mine in the freezer bags too when I have been in a rush. It worked just fine. It’s so nice to have your own tomatoes to use during the winter.
Love the Video! Very Helpful. I tried your method and it sure beats my old method of boiling, taking off skin, cutting them up, then using my seal saver to suck out the air, etc. Your method has saved me SO much Time!!! Thank you so much! :) PS: The biggest thing for ME, is I didn't notice ANY difference in flavor/Texture with your method compared to mine.
Myhubsnd and I cut and seed the tomatoes, put them in the blender, cook them down to loose paste consistency in my enormous sauce pot, and freeze them in large square plastic containers. I make huge batches of chili or pasta sauce with meat and Re freeze in the same containers. We can have a quick delicious meal using the microwave.
I have meat in my big box freezer and veggies in my small box freezer and miscellaneous stuff in my fridge freezer . I home can a lot more of my food that plus dehydrating is the best I can do . 👍
That’s amazing you have two freezers. I’m sure it’s much more organized that way too. I’ve never tried dehydrating. It’s on my list to try. Thank you for watching. 😉
That’s frustrating! I wonder why that happened. Mine are still good from last year. I just made chilli with some this past week. I do have cherry tomatoes as well that froze just fine too.
Probably the most important thing to mention here, in this 5 minute video, was texture and taste. Very informative comments have made me aware that the taste and texture is significantly altered by freezing the pomodoro (tomatoes). I kept waiting for it to be mentioned in the video but there was nothing?
Thank you for taking the time to watch this video. I have had some great questions from people asking for more specific details about freezing tomatoes. This prompted me to create a follow up video to answer some additional questions. Your comment is correct, the texture of the tomato does change after freezing. I use frozen tomatoes for soups, stews, pasta sauce and so much more. The taste of the tomato changes in the sense that it’s not like a fresh tomato straight from garden. The taste and texture is similar to a stewed tomato. Here is the link to a newer video with additional information: ruclips.net/video/PqUpr4OcT9g/видео.htmlsi=1Hah6wcuCJjDnQTj RUclips is such a great resource for people to learn new skills and information. Do you typically preserve food or is this something you are learning about?
When I want to use the frozen tomatoes in a recipe, usually spaghetti, I will put the requisite number in a colander over a bowl first thing in the morning and let them thaw all day. I peel them first under running water. As they thaw, water drips into the bowl, leaving the pulp in the colander. This makes for a thicker sauce. I save the flavored tomato water to use in soups.
I freeze mine with the skins on. Once you take them out of the freezer you can just rub the skins off and cook them. When I can I never remove the skins. Thanks for the informative video.
I do both, freezing, canning, etc. By etc. I have a steamer, juicer, the watery juice runs out hot enough to put in a canning jar, pre salted jar, lid on and it seals, I then have a crank juicer that the rest goes thru, for sauces, we can that juice,or put it in a large slow cooker, on low we simmer it overnight for thick sauces. We also run raw ones thru the crank juicer, then can, we use a outdoor crab cooker as our heat source for canning, no kitchen mess. As I helped mom, yes even the boys helped, so it's a pleasure, and when we enjoy the jars,it's with joy, as I write this I have the last batch of very dark sweet cherries in the steamer, a Mehu- Maya. Into jars hot, lids on, sealed. Then the steamed drained cherries go in a cone old style tomatoes juicer for jams, etc.
The thing that is overlooked in preserving tomatoes is getting rid of the excess water they contain. I recommend: - You can put ripe ones in the refrigerator for 2 weeks until you get enough. - Cut in half or quarter. - I use an electric all-in-one cooker. I add 2 cups of water and high pressure cook them for 20 min. - When cooled, dump the mix into a stock pot with a colander on top. - Pull the skins off with tongs. - Put the remaining pure tomato meat into containers for freezing. - After a few hours you can pour off the water at the top in the stock pot. Keep doing that. Tomato juice will be left to use/freeze. The seeds will be at the bottom. Discard that.
Thank you for sharing. I’m sure your suggestions will help someone checking out my video. I find freezing tomatoes is so fast. It’s a simple method for me especially when I’m rushing. 😉
I’m hoping to learn to make pickles and Sauerkraut this year. Fermented foods are so good for us. I have only ever made refrigerator pickles and they had a TON of sugar. I need to find some simple recipes. 😊
@@jmcfamilyfarm View Jill Winger - Old Fashioned on Purpose. She got me hooked on fermenting. Others are out there. Just salt water and the same spices. Wait 10 -14 days. I find my pickles remain crisp when not cut and fermented. The same salt water brine for sauerkraut. I made that first time last winter. I like my picklings a little spicy hot. I might try making Kimchi, but that looks like a little work. I'm going to try pickling okra this year as well.
I love Jill Winger. I listen to her podcasts. I will see what information she has on her website. Thank you. It’s always great to try new things. I’m not always successful but I keep trying. 😉
A pulled power cord or power failure or freezer failure and your canned tomatoes will be fine. But I agree with you point via freezing you can preserve quantity that would have been overwhelming to can or dry.
I wouldnt spend the time single freezing them, however, I do wash and core them to make it easier to remove thw core. When its time to process them, I pull them out, wash the ice crystals off (because I use the tomatoe liquid for juice), then let them thaw. I separate the liquid into a ½ gallon jar as Im pulling skins off. Putting the liquid away takes more time to peel the skins off! Then can whole, dice, cut or start cooking down depending how I want them. I started freezing the tomatoes to save time in the summer. I just keep adding them as they become ripe to the bag in the freezer and process them when I have time.
I quarter my tomatoes then cook in an instant pot and bag them using my vacuum sealer. They take up a lot less room and keep for years without getting freezer burn. Forgot to say...I freeze the tomatoes first in appropriate sized containers, remove from containers in frozen state, then vacuum bag them.
I use quart size freezer bags, cut up my tomatoes and throw them in the bag. I make sure to mark the bag what it is for and the year. The reason I mark what it's for is because I also have quart-sized bags with cut up tomatoes but I add green/red peppers and mild peppers but I use this for chili. I get all those ingredients how much I want for my chili and I only have to cook the hamburger and then I add course my homegrown onions that are in storage and add a bag of my ready-made tomatoes and fixings and add the beans and chili powder. I do not add onion to the bag as I don't like my onions frozen. I like to cut up an onion like someone making fresh chili. It's just two of us so 1-quart bag is enough for us. I do not skin the tomatoes. I have been doing this for years and it works great.
What an amazing idea! Thank you for sharing. That will work perfect for me for those busy nights when we are off to hockey in the winter. Thank you so much.
Freezing is a fantastic way to preserve excess tomatoes. I wash mine, core them, remove any bad spots, and toss them in the bags. As you show, there's no need to blanch or take the skins off before freezing. You can even freeze them for just a day if you're going to can whole tomatoes and skip the blanching to remove skins. Canning, and really, any cooking changes the flavor of fresh tomatoes, so that's not really an issue if you're processing tomatoes for later use. Another cool thing I've found is to just let the faucet run very slowly over the tomatoes soon after taking them out of the freezer. The skins slip right off as you softly rub starting from the cored end. I liked your use of the bowl of water, I'll have to see which I like. If I'm making sauce, I do this in the evening. I then stack them in large bowls to defrost overnight. Early the next morning, the now defrosted tomatoes will be sitting in the water given off of the tomatoes from the cell walls which exploded during freezing. This is the excess water which you would have had to cook away to reduce the sauce. It's not really 'juice', just slightly flavored 'tomato water'. Saves a ton of time and energy from having to cook your sauce for hours. Think that's it? Nope! Save that water because now you have a base stock to make a delicious minestrone-type soup! Start your soup with whatever you like to saute (onions, celery, garlic, carrots, meat, etc...,) then add the saved tomato water, bring to a simmer and clean out your freezer and pantry of whatever veggies you want to add. When the veggies are just about done, add your pasta of choice (or rice for gluten-free - just adjust for cooking time,) and you now have an easy, delicious soup that can be eaten immediately, or put back in serving size containers in the freezer for later. It will have a nice, satisfying, slightly acidic zip from the tomato water.
Thank you so much for all this information. I love your suggestions. Such a great idea to let your tomatoes defrost over night. Huge time saver! Also, what a fantastic idea to make soup. I’m totally going to do that. It’s great not to waste anything. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. 😊
Agree. Freezing is faster and easier. Unfortunately, that's displaces more valuable and less apt to be canned foods. Our freezer is packed with beef, lamb, home made foods (burritos, pies, etc.).
I’ve done this for many years,wish I had more freezer space to do all my tomatoes this way instead of having to can some…I remove the core before freezing. I also do this with peaches!
I decided to try freezing mine this year. I pulled mine from the garden, washed and let dry. I then put in Ziploc bags and into freezer. I skipped freezing on cookie sheet first. Is that going to make a difference?
That’s great! No, you don’t have to freeze them separately on the cookie sheet first. I did the same thing as you this year. I was rushed for time. They will be just fine. I love having our tomatoes to use in the winter.
You are right - freezing is way easier. However, if you don’t want to use power & freezer space, canned tomatoes can sit on a pantry shelf with no power needed.
Exactly why I cook my tomatoes down and can them. Condense, store, no energy needed. Then buy some solar charging battery powered lights. So, if you cant get gas for your generator you are still good. The main idea of being prepared is to not need an outside sources, in any event that could happen, earthquake, tornado, etc....
@@RkicF8You can freeze them until you have enough to make a big batch of sauce.
But if you have a freezer anyway and you have the room. A freezer is more efficient when full.
I doubt that anyone has tested this scientifically. My guess is that the hours and energy required to boil off the moisture of fresh tomatoes is much greater than all the water that comes off in the freezing and thawing process. Plus, freezing affords the benefit of building a stockpile of "fresh" stock until the needed quantity is reached.
The amount of power required to do the canning would probably be about the same amount of power required to run a freezer for a year....especially if you did multiple , or long canning sessions. Freezer space I can't argue with.......it depends on what you want to freeze and how much space you have there.....
But I wouldn't let power be a deciding factor, because, even if you don't use about 200KW of power to do your canning, (which is about what a freezer uses in a year) if you already have a freezer, it's going to be running anyway, so.....the power you would use to do the canning would automatically be more than you would use if you froze them.
Been doing this for over 50 years and like you show, it makes processing the tomatoes a lot easier. One small difference. We just put the tomatoes directly in zip lock bags and then into the freezer.
I love preserving tomatoes this way. Thank you for your comment. You definitely have had great success with this method if you have been doing this for more than 50 years. Thank you for watching! 😉
I do exactly like you described. I don’t bother peeling them. When it’s time to use them I defrost as many I want, then I can peel them if necessary. But mostly I don’t bother. I just throw it in the soup or stew pot! Simple and time saving! I’m lucky to have a freezer chest in my garage for frozen produce from my garden.
I love freezing tomatoes. It’a such a time saver. 😊
Since we always remove the skins, we don’t bother with washing them unless they have visible dirt on them.
You have a point but I worry more about a power outage and too much food in the freezer rather than canned.
Totally my first thought when I saw the title!
That would be a concern if you had an extended power outage. Freezing tomatoes is a good option for people learning about food storage. 😉
@@jmcfamilyfarm I agree it is an easy way to start but I prefer canned long term. They will last longer and power outages do not affect them unless where they are stored literally freezes. We rarely have multiple days of outages but they do in Florida and I think California.
Hi, I cut mine into pieces, run through the blender, put into glass containers (or freezer bags) then into the freezer. Takes less space that way. Then when making chili, take out, dump into a pot (with olive oil) and boil down to whatever consistency wanted (I usually mix with a store bought can). Works for me, but I have a small garden- I just use the freezer section of the fridge.
Thank you so much for your comment. That’s a great idea too! That would definitely take up a lot less space in your freezer. I’m sure this will help someone else reading these comments. Thank you so much.
Very helpful
Exactly what I do.
So it’s ok to put them in the blender and then refreeze them? Evidently, if that’s what you do!
Sorry …. Just to clarify your question. After I defrost tomatoes I always make something with them. For example pasta sauce. The tomatoes are being cooked/boiled at that point. The sauce is then fine to freeze. Does that answer your question? Please let me know. 😊
Thank you for this video. I just spent roughly two hours in the kitchen blanching and peeling tomatoes to freeze. This will be a much faster process and it looks so easy to peel when you use them. I also like the idea of being able to take out one or two tomatoes at a time.
I love freezing tomatoes. It’s so much faster. I hope this method works for you too. Anything to safe a bit of time works for me! 😉
Hummmmm interesting thanks!
Freezing Tomatoes don't need to blanch, they can be as they are once washed. Freeze as whole, chopped, sliced, or peree. Good for up to 12 months frozen, then used in cooked recipes.
So easy! 😉
@@jmcfamilyfarm Agree, like your video.
I gave up canning but I’m going to try your method!!! Looks super fast and easy 🎉
This will be perfect for you! 😉
I kill the enzymes first by blanching the tomatoes in hot water 2 mins, then into ice bath. I peel the skins and blend into a pulp. I then add to a pan with some chopped basil and boil 2 mins. That blend is then divided into 2 cup increments to go into freezer bags flat for freezing. When frozen I can store like books on a shelf, taking up little space but in the 2 cup increments I can use for spaghetti's and chili's etc during winter months. I only make enough to last one year because in 9b Sacramento, my next tomatoes are ready for harvest in late June. Thanks for those tips.
I love this idea. Thank you for sharing. Your method definitely takes up less freezer space. Thank you so much.
I do the same….takes less space than freezing whole tomatoes.
I’ve thrown tomatoes in a bag, and straight into the freezer, skipping the step of freezing on a cookie sheet. They were great and they didn’t stick together. Now I squish them into canning jars using my Vitamix tool and freeze, as it takes up a lot less space than putting them in whole. I thawed the jars last night, about 16 of them, and canned them today. I grow tomatoes both to eat fresh and use in sauce throughout the year. There’s just no way I would ever have near enough room in my freezer for all of those tomatoes! I love to pressure can them. It takes so much less time than water bath and I can always find room to store them.
Thank you for sharing. I have skipped the ‘cookie sheet’ step too & it worked just fine. I was running out of time one day & thought it was worth a try. 😊. I haven’t attempted to can things yet. I know some people that freeze the tomatoes & once they have time to can them, pull them out of the freezer & start the canning process. The benefit is the skin comes off easily after the tomatoes have been frozen. I do love freezing tomatoes because it’s quick. I wanted to share this idea for people just learning to preserve their own food. Someday I will learn to can things. I know my grandma would be very proud if I did. She always canned tons of things. I just never learned. Thank you for watching.
I had too many tomatoes once, due to an early freeze forcing us to pick everything, even the green ones. Sitting in a box in the kitchen, they ripened slowly over the next month, but we reached the point where we just were sick of tomatoes. We just froze the rest, especially the cherry tomatoes. The freezing process burst them all, but they made a nice chunky pasta sauce.
Pasta sauce is a great thing to make with those tomatoes. 😉
I had a bunch of green tomatoes a couple of years ago and made green tomato picalilli.
It has become a huge hit with the people I give it to.
Great with hot dogs.
@@twill9278 yummy!!!!
I want to can, I've watched SO many videos and I'm desperate to give it a go BUT... I'm in the UK, and noone in my connections has even heard of canning. Freezing my tomatoes is a good stop gap! Thank you, we're 4 years in to growing our own vegetables and starting to produce good amounts of tomatoes.
I love freezing tomatoes and zucchini. For me it’s a quick way to preserve some things from my garden. Please let me know if you have any other questions. 😊
You are half right :) We freeze our tomatoes in large bags as they ripen during the summer. And when the crop is finished yielding we pull the frozen tomatoes out and let them thaw, in the bags, in the bath tub. This releases a huge amount of water-which we then (do not have to boil off) drain off and make spaghetti and pizza sauce, ketchup and juice-and can them. This saves a ton of energy and process time.
great info thank you! I was wondering what I was going to do as all the ingredients for salsa, sauces etc seem to be ready at different times. This week is 25 lbs of bell peppers dicing and freezing and dehydrating a portion.
I’m glad this was helpful. It is tough when all the right produce isn’t ready when you need it. Homemade salsa is delicious. Summer is sometimes so busy too that we need little tricks to help with food storage. 😊
@@jmcfamilyfarm My husband (this is his account lol) goes thru salsa so fast I end up making 3 batches per year it seems. Trying to get ahead of the game with at least my fresh ingredients either frozen or dehydrated. The frozen tomatoes is new to me so excited as I've been relying on canned stuff from the store previously. I have bad fibro and thinking about doing it all at once is stressful.
Oh my goodness… that’s a lot of salsa! I bet it’s so yummy! I hope the frozen tomatoes work for you. Keep us posted. 😉
I wish you would of said something about the Taste and consistency. Most items undergo changes once Frozen. However thanks for the tip, definitely easier than canning.
Thank you for the feedback. You are absolutely correct. The texture of the tomato does change once it’s frozen. It’s similar to a stewed tomato consistency. I use frozen tomatoes for stews, sauces, etc. Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment. 😊
I wish she would have said something like that too.
I created a new video to answer some common questions. Here is the link.
ruclips.net/video/PqUpr4OcT9g/видео.html
Gosh!! Tuff audience! 😂 I thought you did great!! Thank you!!
@joolsmonash9855 …. Thank you so much. ☺️
I watched your video this last summer. I did freeze alot of tomatoes and you are so right! How easy it was and i actually prefer this tomatoe flavor than my canned tomatoes. I still canned some cuz the thought of loosing power is always on my mind. Thanks so much!
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. That’s great feedback. This method works so great for me. It’s hard if you are in an area that has frequent power outages. That would be a worry for sure. Thank you for watching. 😉
Nice. I'm going to try freezing tomatoes this year. That's the same way I freeze blueberries, on a baking sheet. I double bag my blueberries though. I put them in either food storage/bread bags or zip lock sandwich bags & then place that bag in a freezer bag. My blueberries stored a year ago in that fashion still have no frost on them.
That’s perfect! I froze some raspberries this that way too. The raspberries then don’t fall apart. I’m glad this was helpful. 😊
Canning requires lots of space and reduces nutrition. Freezing holds your food hostage to power outages or equipment failure. We discovered dehydration a few years back and never looked back. With tomatoes we store dehydrated slices since the high sugar content makes the powder clump but they are easily made into powder as we need it. Powdered tomato makes instant sauce or paste and in less time than thawing anything from the freezer. We love it.
Someone else commented about using a dehydrator for some as well. It’s a great option too.
Thanks for the great video. Just what I needed to know to deal with our giant tomato crop this year.
I’m so glad this was helpful. Thank you for watching. 😊
I like this idea. I hate peeling warm tomatoes. It's too acidic for my hands. I just recently took out of my freezer peeled tomatoes from last year and made deer stew. Yum! Thx for this video
I’m so glad this was helpful. Thank you for watching. 😉
Thank you so much for this video! We end up with too many tomatoes from our garden and I never know what to do with them!
I’m so glad it was helpful. 😊
Thanks for sharing this tip. I also use another useful method without freezing that saves tomatoes for few weeks
Definitely trying this when my tomatoes are ready.. Ty
It’s so much faster. 😉
I can some. But you are correct it is so much easier to freeze your tomatoes . I only use the tomatoes in soup so they work perfect for me when i freeze them in cups. I do process them exactly like I do for canning. But then put them in freezer containers . Works perfect for soups.
They do work well for soups. I also use them for a lot of pasta sauces. I purée the tomatoes sometimes so it works well for me too. 😊
We are doing our first batch now. Thanks for confirming that it works. Havagudun gal.
I hope you love it! It works great for me. 😊
Thank you! You just saved me a lot of work !
I’m so glad this was helpful.
I froze my San Marzano tomatoes for a couple of years. They looked OK but I noticed they didn't have the flavor I wanted for making sauces. I found research done on chilling tomatoes which reported that "flavor volatiles" were significantly reduced my simply chilling tomatoes in the refrigerator for 8 days. There was no reduction in food value with chilling or freezing, but flavor was significantly affected.
Thank you for your comment. I haven’t noticed a change in the flavour. That’s interesting for sure. Thank you for watching.
Freeze them as shown but if you are making a sauce with them thaw and blenderize. Skins and all. Do you peel your tomatoes for a salad or sandwich? There is a lot of nutrition in the peels and it does not have a negative impact on the taste or texture of your sauce. If you must peel them, the peels can be dehydrated and ground to powder to thicken and flavor any dish you like.
I LOVE freezing my ripe tomatoes! I do it exactly like you only I core mine before I freeze them 👍🏼
Never tired this method because I have limited freezer space. Good to know and Thanks for sharing!
I don't remember us having zip lock bags when I was a kid, I'm kinda old. BUT... I do remember mom putting them in old bread bags and cool whip containers to freeze.
My grandma often re-used milk bags as well. It’s a great idea to re-use as many items as you can. 😊
Thank you, thank you , thank you, I subscribed. I too am overwhelmed with fantastic tomatoes, and will use your method starting today. Why in the world didn't I think of this. I'll try doing this with tomatillos also, I have a huge amount.
I’m so glad this was helpful. 😊. Thank you for watching and subscribing.
Hi From Castlegar British Columbia Canada .You have Great looking Tomatoes , I freeze the smaller ones and slice and freeze the big ones Great show thanks Richard
Thank you so much for watching! When I get too many at once I love to freeze them. It’s a race to pick them so my chickens don’t eat them first! 🤣
It is always good to have as many ways to deal with home grown foods as possible. Thanks for the info.
Great idea. Thanks for sharing. I live in Louisiana and grow tomatoes until frost kills them. Late March to almost Thanksgiving. I'll do this using my vacuum sealer. I've got 36 plants of various varieties in all different stages of growth. Just sprouted another dozen to be ready to transplant in two weeks. This solves the problem of what to do with all of my San Marzano tomatoes. They are not slicers they are strictly a sauce tomato.
That’s amazing!!! That’s incredible you have such a long growing period. I have never used a vacuum sealer before. I’m glad this was helpful. 😊
We would freeze our tomatoes for weeks until we were ready to can them. One day, a frozen tomato fell out of the freezer. Out teething newfie puppy pounced on it and chewed it. It gave her tender gums relief. After that she got a frozen tomato each day. Then she tried to pick her own tomatoes from the garden like she did with black berries. Good video. Good Luck, Rick
Lol!!! Oh, I love this! Thank you for sharing. I’m sure your pup was surprised about the texture of that fresh tomato. 🤣 Pretty smart pup you have. Our lab LOVES frozen strawberries. He drools waiting for one as soon as he hears the bag. Thanks so much for watching. 😉
@@jmcfamilyfarmThat was 40 years ago. Kachina was exceptionally smart, strong, and protective of my wife when I wasn't around. As a puppy she had to stand on her hind legs to pick black berries and looked very cute. For some reason that roll of film didn't come out. One day she decided to pick a zucchini. The plant came with it which scared her. She ran around the yard being chased by that plant. Martha had to rescue her. I miss both of them. Martha died from a tick bite. Good Luck, Rick
@richardross7219 …. Kachina sounds incredibly smart! Dogs are pretty amazing.
I’m sorry about your wife. You must miss her. Ticks have increased in our area significantly over the past few years. I ended up with a tick on my leg this spring. Thankfully I found it before it became engorged.
Cool way especially the peeling part. Thanks I freeze them whole but did not think to peel them as you do.
Hopefully this saves you a little bit of time. 😊
Thank you so much for watching.
I stopped canning tomatoes about 10 years ago. It's a lot of work but we actually got tired of the taste/quality of canned. We dry about 20%. Core and freeze about 30%, and the remainder we process into pasta and pizza sauces and freeze in pint and quart Mason jars. Pull them out of the freezer a day early, put them in the fridge, ready to go for dinner the next evening. Most of the jars we actually have them 100% ready to go. Onions,peppers,sausage, spices, and cheeses so all we do is heat.
Thank you so much for sharing. How do you dry your tomatoes? I should try that! I make lots of pasta sauce too. One of my favourite dinners. Thank you for taking the time to comment. 😊
We use an electric dehydrator. I've experimented with sun drying and oven drying with mixed results. The dehydrator is quite foolproof once you get the hang of it. There's a lot of info available on line to assist with learning this process. We dry all kinds of fruits and vegetables every summer so it was worth the investment. Probably $100 bucks 10 years ago.
That’s amazing. Thank you so much.
That's great to know! I did some canning this summer but ran out of steam to finish canning the last of my tomatoes so they are in my freezer and I keep wondering how best to use them! Yay for seeing this! I make stews and soups all winter/year long so that's great news. Thank you!
I’m so glad this was helpful for you. Canning definitely takes a lot more time. As long as you have the space in your freezer this is a perfect solution.
The frozen tomatoes also work great for pasta sauce too.
Thank you so much for taking the time to watch! 😊
The idea of canning (or what we call bottling in Australia) is that your food is safe if there's a power failure and also freezing requires ongoing use of energy whereas your jars in the pantry are good for ages and require no further use of energy
That is exactly what I was thinking. Freezing is great until the power goes out for 24 hours then you though it all away. Canning (or bottling) lasts essentially for ever without any need to work about anything but the jars breaking.
Honestly, canning tomatoes isn’t hard. Once I learned to do the jars in the oven and take out, one at a time, it was a game changer. I use mine for soups and salsa.
Thanks so much for this amazing video. I don't have a garden, and can't even grow a cactus plant!! However, tomatoes are a regular part of my diet - LOVE me a nice, big, fat, juicy, loaded-down salad! My store-bought tomatoes don't always last as long as I'd like, sometimes even sprouting from the inside. With this video on freezing tomatoes, I won't be wasting any more - money. Liked & Subscribed. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!
Thank you so much. I’m glad this video was helpful. Thank you for watching. 😊
Thanks for your advice.
I'm going to freeze them right now.
You will love it!!!
Thank you for this! I just harvested some and have more on my counter and going on vacation soon😮 I have no time for canning. Thanks commenter community as well✌🏽
I’m glad this was helpful. Have a wonderful vacation. 😊
My tomatoes are a little smaller. I had to ripen them in a bag in the pantry. Had to harvest before a freeze. I've washed them and they are ready for the freezer. We'll see how it works out. Thank you for sharing
They will be just fine. Please let me know once you use them. The skins peel off super easy. Thank you for watching. 😉
You don’t have to put them in a bag to ripen them if you don’t want to; you can just leave them in a bowl on the counter or the table, etc. and they’ll ripen that way. The advantage to that is there right in the open so you don’t have to keep checking a bag to see what level of rightness they’ve reached.
I just put 42 jumbo freezer bags of tomatoes in freezer using this method. When I need any for a meal, I place them in a pot, warm on very low heat, thaw and when they’re soft, I strain liquid off, add spices, purée and I have a delightful tomato sauce that hasn’t had the daylights cooked out of it.
I don’t remove the skins or seeds and I find the sauce very tasty.
Wow!!!!! That is a lot of tomatoes! Homemade tomato sauce is amazing. Sounds like you have this down to a fine art. Thank you for sharing. Your method for preparing sauce will be so helpful for people reading the comments. Thank you.
Thank you so much, what a good idea to know you can keep tomatoes
& use them later, by freezing them!👌👍
Hopefully this will work for you too. 😉
Thank you for this video. I never thought of this. Wonderful information.
Thank you so much for watching. 😊
I’ve wondered about freezing tomatoes my entire life! Just because canning is a lot of work. Thanks for the info and demonstration.
Hopefully this will work for you too! 😊
Thank you for demonstrating this. Now I will start storing tomatoes for winter use. Canning is not my thing!
thank you great way to store tomatoes
Thank you for the demonstration! For once we will have tomatoes stored for winter, because I am not into canning.
I’m glad this was helpful. Thank you for watching. 😊
Bravo. You know what you’re talking bout . Thanks. Craig. Pa.
Thank you for watching. 😊
I’ve frozen tomatoes before and it works well. Like you said saves time. The heirloom tomatoes this year are really cat faced and so far many are already chopped up and I will either fish the skins out at cooking or purée them as I’ve already cored them. It would save a lot of time upfront for fresh tomato use.
Some can a lot of whatever they use the most to last 2 years and that sounded like a good idea, but I prefer to not keep canned goods for more than a year.
Thank you for your comment. It does save a lot of time up front.
I agree with you about shelf life for canned goods. I’ll have to do some reading on expiration dates for canned fruits and vegetables. 2 years sounds pretty reasonable to me. 😉
@@jmcfamilyfarm yes, 2 years is I’m sure fine, but quality does start to degrade a bit.
I like this it is a cool idea. I just need more room in my big freezer to freeze on trays. Right now it is crammed with bags of frozen tomatoes and bags of bell peppers. I am saving them up to make spaghetti sauce to can again this year.
Thank you. 😊 I have just put mine in the freezer bags too when I have been in a rush. It worked just fine. It’s so nice to have your own tomatoes to use during the winter.
God bless you, yes I too have tons of tomatoes! so in the freezer they go! Thank you my friend.
I’m so glad this was helpful! 😊
Love the Video! Very Helpful. I tried your method and it sure beats my old method of boiling, taking off skin, cutting them up, then using my seal saver to suck out the air, etc. Your method has saved me SO much Time!!! Thank you so much! :)
PS: The biggest thing for ME, is I didn't notice ANY difference in flavor/Texture with your method compared to mine.
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. I’m so glad this worked for you. It’s always great to get some feedback. Thank you. 😉
Thank you, very much, i have a bunch of cherry tomatoes, im gonna do it this way, with them. Nice to meet you
Nice to meet you too! 😊
Myhubsnd and I cut and seed the tomatoes, put them in the blender, cook them down to loose paste consistency in my enormous sauce pot, and freeze them in large square plastic containers. I make huge batches of chili or pasta sauce with meat and Re freeze in the same containers. We can have a quick delicious meal using the microwave.
That’s a great idea! I love it! Thank you for sharing. 😊
I have meat in my big box freezer and veggies in my small box freezer and miscellaneous stuff in my fridge freezer . I home can a lot more of my food that plus dehydrating is the best I can do . 👍
That’s amazing you have two freezers. I’m sure it’s much more organized that way too. I’ve never tried dehydrating. It’s on my list to try. Thank you for watching. 😉
Mine went rotten when I did that last year. But the little grape & cherry tomatoes did better.
Had the same issue but did this again but cored the slicer tomatoes before putting them in freezer and they were fine
That’s frustrating! I wonder why that happened. Mine are still good from last year. I just made chilli with some this past week. I do have cherry tomatoes as well that froze just fine too.
Thanks for the tip. We have emergency generator so no worries on power failure
Thanks for the heads up on tomatoes. We often have an abundance and wonder what we're going to do with so many? I am new to your channel. THUMBS UP!!!
Thank you so much for watching. I hope it’s helpful. 😊
Probably the most important thing to mention here, in this 5 minute video, was texture and taste. Very informative comments have made me aware that the taste and texture is significantly altered by freezing the pomodoro (tomatoes). I kept waiting for it to be mentioned in the video but there was nothing?
Thank you for taking the time to watch this video. I have had some great questions from people asking for more specific details about freezing tomatoes. This prompted me to create a follow up video to answer some additional questions.
Your comment is correct, the texture of the tomato does change after freezing. I use frozen tomatoes for soups, stews, pasta sauce and so much more. The taste of the tomato changes in the sense that it’s not like a fresh tomato straight from garden. The taste and texture is similar to a stewed tomato.
Here is the link to a newer video with additional information: ruclips.net/video/PqUpr4OcT9g/видео.htmlsi=1Hah6wcuCJjDnQTj
RUclips is such a great resource for people to learn new skills and information. Do you typically preserve food or is this something you are learning about?
When I want to use the frozen tomatoes in a recipe, usually spaghetti, I will put the requisite number in a colander over a bowl first thing in the morning and let them thaw all day. I peel them first under running water. As they thaw, water drips into the bowl, leaving the pulp in the colander. This makes for a thicker sauce. I save the flavored tomato water to use in soups.
I love this idea!!!! Thank you so much for sharing. I need to try this. 😊
Is it easy to get the seeds out or do you just put the whole lot in? I like making soup, but not too keen on the seeds.👍🇬🇧
@@sandragray3951 If I use them for spaghetti sauce, the seeds don't bother me. For a smooth tomato soup, I blend the snot out of them.
@sandragray3951 … I just put the whole tomato in. It would be difficult to remove the seeds once the tomatoes thaw.
@@musicwithgrandma7207 Thank- you
Love this idea.
Thank you for sharing your ideas
I freeze mine with the skins on. Once you take them out of the freezer you can just rub the skins off and cook them. When I can I never remove the skins. Thanks for the informative video.
It’s so easy this way. Thanks for watching. 😉
I do both, freezing, canning, etc.
By etc. I have a steamer, juicer, the watery juice runs out hot enough to put in a canning jar, pre salted jar, lid on and it seals, I then have a crank juicer that the rest goes thru, for sauces, we can that juice,or put it in a large slow cooker, on low we simmer it overnight for thick sauces.
We also run raw ones thru the crank juicer, then can, we use a outdoor crab cooker as our heat source for canning, no kitchen mess.
As I helped mom, yes even the boys helped, so it's a pleasure, and when we enjoy the jars,it's with joy, as I write this I have the last batch of very dark sweet cherries in the steamer, a Mehu- Maya. Into jars hot, lids on, sealed.
Then the steamed drained cherries go in a cone old style tomatoes juicer for jams, etc.
That’s wonderful that you prepare your tomatoes so many ways. Great idea!
Cherries are so delicious …. Especially cherry pie! 🥧
Fantastic Video - I learned plenty - Thank You. -- Jim
Thank you so much for watching. 😊
Thank you so much!!! I love your method and will be using it.
I’m so glad this was helpful.
Thank you
Hello Im new to your channel.. Great information.. We just started freezing our tomatoes & we canned some too! 🍅
Awwww. Thank you so much. I love freezing tomatoes because it’s quick. Someday I will learn to can tomatoes too. Thank you for watching. 😊
Non frost free freezers like chest type are best. The frost and ice is caused by defrost cycles.
Well done Mam !
your job is great ❤
Thank you so much. 😊
Brilliant. Thanks
The thing that is overlooked in preserving tomatoes is getting rid of the excess water they contain. I recommend:
- You can put ripe ones in the refrigerator for 2 weeks until you get enough.
- Cut in half or quarter.
- I use an electric all-in-one cooker. I add 2 cups of water and high pressure cook them for 20 min.
- When cooled, dump the mix into a stock pot with a colander on top.
- Pull the skins off with tongs.
- Put the remaining pure tomato meat into containers for freezing.
- After a few hours you can pour off the water at the top in the stock pot. Keep doing that. Tomato juice will be left to use/freeze. The seeds will be at the bottom. Discard that.
Thank you for sharing. I’m sure your suggestions will help someone checking out my video.
I find freezing tomatoes is so fast. It’s a simple method for me especially when I’m rushing. 😉
@@jmcfamilyfarm I agree. I freeze. And ferment my pickles, then fridge. Life is too short.
I’m hoping to learn to make pickles and Sauerkraut this year. Fermented foods are so good for us. I have only ever made refrigerator pickles and they had a TON of sugar. I need to find some simple recipes. 😊
@@jmcfamilyfarm View Jill Winger - Old Fashioned on Purpose. She got me hooked on fermenting. Others are out there. Just salt water and the same spices. Wait 10 -14 days. I find my pickles remain crisp when not cut and fermented. The same salt water brine for sauerkraut. I made that first time last winter. I like my picklings a little spicy hot.
I might try making Kimchi, but that looks like a little work.
I'm going to try pickling okra this year as well.
I love Jill Winger. I listen to her podcasts. I will see what information she has on her website. Thank you.
It’s always great to try new things. I’m not always successful but I keep trying. 😉
I started dehydrating my Romas.
Peel, slice from pole to pole, and dlap them in the dehydrator.
I still can, and I freeze puree.
A pulled power cord or power failure or freezer failure and your canned tomatoes will be fine.
But I agree with you point via freezing you can preserve quantity that would have been overwhelming to can or dry.
Thank you.
thanks
I wouldnt spend the time single freezing them, however, I do wash and core them to make it easier to remove thw core. When its time to process them, I pull them out, wash the ice crystals off (because I use the tomatoe liquid for juice), then let them thaw. I separate the liquid into a ½ gallon jar as Im pulling skins off. Putting the liquid away takes more time to peel the skins off! Then can whole, dice, cut or start cooking down depending how I want them. I started freezing the tomatoes to save time in the summer. I just keep adding them as they become ripe to the bag in the freezer and process them when I have time.
Sounds like you have your process down to a fine art! Thank you for taking the time to give some feedback.
I quarter my tomatoes then cook in an instant pot and bag them using my vacuum sealer. They take up a lot less room and keep for years without getting freezer burn. Forgot to say...I freeze the tomatoes first in appropriate sized containers, remove from containers in frozen state, then vacuum bag them.
That's a great idea!
We used to do that back in the early 1970's.
Thanks for sharing
Oh my gosh… the peeling🙌🏽🥰♥️
Thanks
Great video very practical two thumbs 👍 👍
Thank you very much. 😊
You can freeze peppers too. Squash and lots more.
I do freeze shredded zucchini as well but I’ve never froze peppers before. Do you freeze them whole?
Thank you for the video 😊!!!
Great idea, thanks!
I cold pack, add whatever spices, onions or bell peppers and pressure can.
Great idea!
THANK YOU!!!!!
Nice idea, I'll do it. I'm always in panic mode this time of year.
I hear ya! There never seems to be enough time. 😉
Another easy solution is oven drying. Especially for Roma types. Very easy to store, and so tasty
Thank you. 😊
I use quart size freezer bags, cut up my tomatoes and throw them in the bag. I make sure to mark the bag what it is for and the year. The reason I mark what it's for is because I also have quart-sized bags with cut up tomatoes but I add green/red peppers and mild peppers but I use this for chili. I get all those ingredients how much I want for my chili and I only have to cook the hamburger and then I add course my homegrown onions that are in storage and add a bag of my ready-made tomatoes and fixings and add the beans and chili powder. I do not add onion to the bag as I don't like my onions frozen. I like to cut up an onion like someone making fresh chili. It's just two of us so 1-quart bag is enough for us. I do not skin the tomatoes. I have been doing this for years and it works great.
What an amazing idea! Thank you for sharing. That will work perfect for me for those busy nights when we are off to hockey in the winter. Thank you so much.
Freezing is a fantastic way to preserve excess tomatoes. I wash mine, core them, remove any bad spots, and toss them in the bags. As you show, there's no need to blanch or take the skins off before freezing. You can even freeze them for just a day if you're going to can whole tomatoes and skip the blanching to remove skins.
Canning, and really, any cooking changes the flavor of fresh tomatoes, so that's not really an issue if you're processing tomatoes for later use.
Another cool thing I've found is to just let the faucet run very slowly over the tomatoes soon after taking them out of the freezer. The skins slip right off as you softly rub starting from the cored end. I liked your use of the bowl of water, I'll have to see which I like.
If I'm making sauce, I do this in the evening. I then stack them in large bowls to defrost overnight. Early the next morning, the now defrosted tomatoes will be sitting in the water given off of the tomatoes from the cell walls which exploded during freezing. This is the excess water which you would have had to cook away to reduce the sauce. It's not really 'juice', just slightly flavored 'tomato water'. Saves a ton of time and energy from having to cook your sauce for hours.
Think that's it? Nope! Save that water because now you have a base stock to make a delicious minestrone-type soup! Start your soup with whatever you like to saute (onions, celery, garlic, carrots, meat, etc...,) then add the saved tomato water, bring to a simmer and clean out your freezer and pantry of whatever veggies you want to add. When the veggies are just about done, add your pasta of choice (or rice for gluten-free - just adjust for cooking time,) and you now have an easy, delicious soup that can be eaten immediately, or put back in serving size containers in the freezer for later. It will have a nice, satisfying, slightly acidic zip from the tomato water.
Thank you so much for all this information. I love your suggestions. Such a great idea to let your tomatoes defrost over night. Huge time saver!
Also, what a fantastic idea to make soup. I’m totally going to do that. It’s great not to waste anything. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. 😊
@jmcfamilyfarm
you're welcome. Thank you for posting the video.
What an awesome addition to her video. Thank you!! I’m learning so much today!
@Mama_Bear524 … you are so sweet. Thank you. 😊
Are you able to use and slide tomatoes after freezing? Like for sandwiches ? Or only for cooking ?
That’s a great question. Unfortunately the texture of the tomato changes after you freeze them so they are best used for cooking. 😊
Agree. Freezing is faster and easier. Unfortunately, that's displaces more valuable and less apt to be canned foods. Our freezer is packed with beef, lamb, home made foods (burritos, pies, etc.).
That's great you freeze so many things for winter. Thank you for watching my video. Great to have pies on hand instead of making them every time.
I’ve done this for many years,wish I had more freezer space to do all my tomatoes this way instead of having to can some…I remove the core before freezing.
I also do this with peaches!
It’s so easy. I love it. I have never froze peaches whole. I need to try that. Thank you for the suggestion. 😊
thank you !!
I hope it was helpful. 😊
I decided to try freezing mine this year. I pulled mine from the garden, washed and let dry. I then put in Ziploc bags and into freezer. I skipped freezing on cookie sheet first. Is that going to make a difference?
That’s great! No, you don’t have to freeze them separately on the cookie sheet first. I did the same thing as you this year. I was rushed for time. They will be just fine. I love having our tomatoes to use in the winter.
THX! NICE!