Freezing Tomatoes for Canning
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Freezing tomatoes for canning. Freeze, thaw, and watch the skins slip right off!
Today I’m thawing and peeling frozen tomatoes for tomato sauce. It’s a super simple process and has worked out really well. Let me walk you through what I’ve been doing. I”ve got everything from large slicing tomatoes to small cherry tomatoes.
This year, I didn’t have a lot of tomatoes ripening all at once, so I decided to freeze the tomatoes as I harvested, until I had enough for a good batch of tomato sauce.
Why Freeze Tomatoes?
Freezing tomatoes is an easy way to save them when you don’t have enough to can right away. It’s great for small harvests, and you can process them later when you have time or enough tomatoes to make it worthwhile.
How to Freeze Tomatoes in 2 Steps
- Clean and Prep
Start by washing your tomatoes. Remove any bad spots, and if the tomatoes are large, you can cut them in half. The halves will not take up as much space and you’ll get more in the bag. - Bag and Freeze
Place your cleaned tomatoes into freezer bags. Then, pop them in the freezer until you’re ready to use them. I usually lay them flat to save space. Tip… Don’t over fill the bags. If you overfill they are just a bit harder to get out later.
That’s it—no blanching, no extra steps. Just clean, bag, and freeze!
Thawing and Prepping Frozen Tomatoes
When you’re ready to use your frozen tomatoes, here’s what I do:
- Thaw in the Sink
Take the bags out of the freezer and let the bags sit in the sink to start thawing. They’ll drip as they thaw so that’s why I put them in the sink. You can also use a big pot, or some other container. - Peeling Made Simple
Run some warm water over the frozen tomatoes. The skins loosen up quickly, and you can peel them right off with your fingers or use a Tomato Corer — no boiling water or ice baths needed! - Separate the Peels
You can save the clean peels for dehydrating. They can be ground into powder for seasoning or added to soups for extra flavor.
Preparing the Tomatoes for Canning
Once the skins are off, the tomatoes go straight into a pot, all prepped and ready for canning or just to use for dinner. They won’t work well for canning like raw tomatoes, they’ll be soft and saucy. So they need a hot pack sauce recipe.
Here are a variety of recipes that would be suitable for thawed peeled tomatoes.
- An Easy Guide to Canning Tomato Sauce
- How to Can Your Homemade Spaghetti Sauce: Meatless
- Canning Spaghetti Sauce with Meat
- Canning Zucchini in Tomato Sauce, a great basic for your pantry.
- How to Can Homemade Ketchup: A Safe Recipe for a Water Bath Canner
- Canning Salsa: A Beginner’s Guide
- Canning Tomato Vegetable Juice Recipe
Freezing tomatoes this way has been a lifesaver. It’s quick, it doesn’t take up much time during the busy harvest season, and it lets me process everything at my own pace. If you’ve got tomatoes piling up but not enough time for canning right now, give freezing a try. It’s simple, and I think you’ll find it just as helpful as I have.