Hi,
Sorry - this has prob been asked a thousand times, bit out of touch at the moment!
What is the best way to freeze tomatoes?
Can they be frozen whole - (I appreciate they will not be the same once defrosted)
or should I peel them and de-seed them?
or make into batches of basic tomato sauce?
What does everyone else do?
Thinking perhaps 15 tomato plants for 2 people was perhaps over kill! :)
Yes, all of those!
You can freeze them whole & I have done it quite alot, especially if I am in a hurry & haven't time to make sauces, soups or semi-dry them in the oven! As you say they aren't the same, but the advantage is that the skins come off easily if you just rub them off under warm water whilst still frozen. Frozen cherry toms are quite nice popped into a casserole at the end so they defrost but don't disintegrate.
Having plenty of time, I DO peel first - or put them through a pulper as passata. 'Whole' takes a lot of room. Better to cut up & pack closely?
It helps to put them in flattish packs, or smallish portions to speed thawing.
Cherries/mini-plums in casserroles/curries - definitely!
Quote from: daisymay on August 01, 2006, 20:54:39
Hi,
Sorry - this has prob been asked a thousand times, bit out of touch at the moment!
What is the best way to freeze tomatoes?
Can they be frozen whole - (I appreciate they will not be the same once defrosted)
or should I peel them and de-seed them?
or make into batches of basic tomato sauce?
What does everyone else do?
Thinking perhaps 15 tomato plants for 2 people was perhaps over kill! :)
Heyas :)
Um, I have 20 (plus the hanging basket cherries) for just me... Sir won't touch tomatoes. The green tomato chutney was a resounding success, and so were the multicoloured purees (I grew yellow, orange and red ones last time!) and the ratatouille.
I bottled the puree (I have a passata machine - long thread last September on this!) and also frozen them whole. Nice thing about whole frozen is what beejay said - easy to peel if you just melt the outer layer.
First cream sausages (the yellow ones) were picked on Sunday - have one in a decidedly muted tricolore salad for lunch today with homegrown basil too! Nothing like the first sun-ripened tomato... (just prior to getting buried under them!)
moonbells
This is really useful information, as all my tomatoes seem to be ripening all at once. Thanks! busy_lizzie
Quote from: moonbells on August 02, 2006, 09:25:23
I bottled the puree (I have a passata machine
Moonbells, do you put the toms thru the passata machine before or after cooking? I squidged some raw yesterday, and had to put them through three times to get a decent amount of juice out - should I be cooking them first to soften them up? :P
Butting in - I get plenty juice from raw ones in my squidger. Only skin & seeds left.
I had skin & seeds and squodge :-[
Last year I roasted both my courgettes and tomatoes,and then froze them in portions ready to defrost and have with some pasta...lovely.
I'd like to try making passata though. Does it keep long in jars or does it need freezing?
Quote from: supersprout on August 02, 2006, 16:17:59
Quote from: moonbells on August 02, 2006, 09:25:23
I bottled the puree (I have a passata machine
Moonbells, do you put the toms thru the passata machine before or after cooking? I squidged some raw yesterday, and had to put them through three times to get a decent amount of juice out - should I be cooking them first to soften them up? :P
I have done both (and recommend what the chap at Seeds of Italy said - put them through twice!). If you're bothered, a large-holed sieve will get rid of the rest of the pips without you having to spend hours pushing a mass of pulp through. Once bashed, it goes through a sieve relatively easily!
There's always a few small pips get through, though.
Except in Tim's amazing squidger ;D ;D and I'm glad he said that not me! ::) :o
The passata, once properly bottled, should keep several months. As with all bottling, check seals and whether it's blowing (raised lid) and whether gas escapes when you open it. If anything is suspicious, ditch it!
moonbells (ratatouille tonight!)
What's your method for proper bottling moonbells? ???