Tomatoes for freezing

Just wondering if anyone in this group knows what kind of tomatoes should NOT be frozen for later use. I would like to freeze surplus tomatoes to be used this fall/winter in chili and soups. But I didn't deliberately plant tomatoes that are known to be good for freezing, such as Rutgers. Would it be okay to freeze any regular size round red tomato?

I am not sure about this but Frozen tomatoes just doesn't seem right to me. What about canning instead?

I have canned and also froze a lot of tomatoes. I think the frozen keep a better flavor tho canned will keep for years and frozen only a year. Some don't keep them that long. I put mine in boiling water for a minute or two. than put in ice water for a minute or two,remove the skin and green core(if one) and bag them up in freezer bags(either quart or Gallon)I just use mine for cooking. I add them to soup or speggetti sauce.I let them cook awhile.
Vickie

I can't imagine why any type of tomato can't be frozen... Last year I had so many tomatoes I didn't know what to do with them all. So I did as cando1 did - boil for a minute or two, till the skins start falling off, then into an ice bath. Then I peeled and cored them, chucked them in freezer bags and into the freezer. Just used up the last of it in a big pot of soup a few weeks ago.

I don't bother to remove the skins - just cook, strain, bag and freeze!

We drink the juice, and freeze the excess in glass peanut butter jars

We have a very BIG freezer! LOL

What do you use to core your tomatoes with before freezing?

I freeze my tomatoes straight from the garden. I wash them, put them in plastic bags, & drop it in the freezer. When I need tomatoe for my spaggetti, I get one out & drop it into my meat. It'll defrost eventually, & I then fish out the peel.

Ah I guess for cooking in soups or making sauce it doesn't sound as bad. I was picturing freezing a tomato and then taking it out and using it in wedge or sliced form for a salad. If you have extras, give some to your friends and co-workers. Everyone loves fresh tomatoes :)

Thanks for all the info and encouragement about freezing tomatoes. However, my question is Can I freeze any variety of tomato or does it need to be a variety developed especially for freezing?

milesdt, freeze whatever tomatoes taste great to you. I prefer to use "juicy" tomatoes. I cut up an assortment of leftover tomatoes and put them into 1qt. plastic containers and then top them off with the juice. Leave some room at the top b/c when it freezes, it will rise some. I have even mixed red, pink and yellow tomatoes in my containers which makes some delicious soup, chili and spaghetti sauce during the winter months. Believe me, you can taste the difference in your recipe even if the tomatoes are frozen.

Miles, I freeze tomatoes every year, whole. I prefer the smaller types (Heidi being my most favorite) or will use small to mid-size other types. "Smaller types" does not refer to cherries here, by the way.

I freeze them whole, as is, on large cookie sheets in the deep freeze then when frozen solid as a cue ball transfer them to large freezer bags. This way they don't stick together as they would if you put them all in the bag at the non-frozen stage. Freezing them singly lets you pull out one or two or however many you need at the time.

As they thaw the skins slip off and the color of the tomato is much like when they were fresh picked, much brighter and seemingly more flavorful to me than when I can them.

Hope this helps.
Shoe

Shoe, If i have enough tomatoes I might try you method. Its easier.
Vickie

Yep, much easier! I'd rather spend my time canning beans, pickled okra, and making pickled figs. Tomatoes I freeze, also freezing okra the same way. No blanching needed.

Shoe

milesdt - the only distinction I have read about preserving tomatoes is to not do water bath canning with low-acid type tomatoes.

When it comes to freezing them - any type will be okay.

Shoe,
How do you prep your tomatoes before freezing?

I pick 'em. That's it. Of course now, if for some reason they are dirty I'll rinse them off. Then just put them on a baking sheet in the freezer, bagging them when fully frozen. Ta-dahh ♫♫ No muss, no fuss.

Happy Day, all!
Shoe

I thought veggies had to be at least blanched before being frozen to prevent an off-taste when defrosted. Should I assume this is not so with tomatoes?

Honeybee, yep, most veggies benefit from blanching first. I've found that whole tomatoes, okra (I cut mine up), peppers (sliced) and even onions don't require blanching. I used to freeze herbs, too and don't blanch. Most herbs I use dried during the winter but I still like to freeze several bags of basil.

Shoe

Thanks, Ubie!

You're killin' me, GG. "Ubie" *grin Next thing I'll hear is Ubie Wan Kinobee! er, sumpin' like dat....

:>)

I'm STILL trying to find that definition...

Thanks, Shoe. After reading your post, I remembered... I don't blanch sweet peppers or onions, either.

Shoe,
Pickled fig? Never heard of it!! How do you do it? I do pickled okra. I have a big fig tree and will try drying them this year if time permits. ---Belle

Belle,
Can I come pick some figs????!!!! ^^_^^ (jumping up and down, waving her hands)

We've got a good amount of tomato plants and might have some extra to freeze. Has anyone done vacuum-freezing?? We have a FoodSaver vacuum system and will probably get ready to do a little experiment. The most tomatoes we can freeze will be some cherry tomatoes, will they work being frozen??

Gym,
Sure you can come and make sure you bring a sturdy bushel. i have tons of them. Do you want to plant one? I have one that is in a pot from trimmings. It is too hot to mail now but perhaps in the fall if you are interested.

I make preserves with crushed pineapple and raspberry jello. It is a recipe I had created.

Belle

My wife and I freeze whole tomatoes, cut-up okra, and cut-up peppers just like Shoe, with no blanching. They're great. The tomato cores and skins come right off as they thaw, and the flavor is much better than canned tomatoes. We've done that with all the tomato varieties I've grown, and that's a lot of different varieties.

Basil too, as mentioned. Here's a handy tip about freezing basil: We use the fresh leaves during the season, then before the first frost I cut all the basil stalks off and strip the leaves off 'em. We chop the leaves up real fine in a food processor, add enough water to make the basil "mush" semi-liquid, and freeze it in ice cube trays.

Yeah, I know ice cube trays are old-fashioned, but maybe you still have some. Once the basil cubes are frozen solid my wife pops them out of the trays and puts them in freezer bags. When she makes Italian sauces, all she has to do is drop a basil cube or two in the pot. She says that works out real easy for her.

Ozark,
That's not old-fashioned -- that's SMART!!!

Has anyone read the book "The Kitchen Garden Cookbook" by Dorling Kindersley? I think it's a fairly new book. I'm considering getting it, because it's supposed to have great ways for preserving etc your harvest.

OK - so I bought it anyway, I couldn't resist! I haven't had too much time to read it yet, but it looks really good. There's quite a few techniques on preserving tomatoes that will definitely come in handy.

Ozark,

I learned about freezing basil your wife's way last summer from a very experienced herb grower. I concur that it works like a charm. I didn't make enough. The basil tastes so fresh and I used them up too fast!! So this year I plan to grow enough basil to make enough!! I also freeze tomatoes the way mentioned above - cut them up off the vine, place on trays, freeze and then put in bags.

last fall I also froze bazil in ice cube trays, but with a touch of evoo instead of water. It worked great but I also didn't make enough! On the topic of freezing herbs, I also froze my rosemary and thyme sprigs. Just pop them in freezer bags and use them for cooking... works just like if they were fresh!

Sorry for my ignorance but what is evoo?

It is olive oil.

EVOO = Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Credit to Rachel Ray!

Thanks, never thought of adding Olive Oil to the ice tray! I thought it was some kind of weird gourmet water! LOL Does the Olive Oil actually freeze completely?

Hee hee, sorry... I think I've only watched that show once, but "EVOO" stuck with me for some reason.

I only add a touch of oil while chopping the basil in my food processor. It's kind of like making a pesto. I'm sure if there was a lot of oil, it wouldn't freeze properly, but I didn't have a problem. I'm guessing water would work just as well.

Thanks for the education!! LOL Will try a "EVOO" next time!!

Cool.. I've been doing this for a long time! I use EVOO and I call them "spice cubes" In fact, today I had to "pinch" my basil and made a whole tray!

I also do garlic the same way.. cause you almost always need EVOO when you need garlic.. I measure out one teaspoon and one tablespoon and keep them in separate bags.. Not that I measure garlic by the spoon, but when you fill a tray, you can get a LOT of garlic in a cube! LOL

I also did a load of lemon zest.. used one teaspoon of juice to make it freeze.

These cubes are fantastic and oh sooo good to pop in whatever your cookin!! :)