I have a ton of tomatoes from my garden, and I know I wont use them in the next few days. I would really love to use them in the future though!
I know I could can them, but truthfully, I don't have anything to do that (no jars or anything) and I really don't want to have to buy that stuff.
I'm thinking I might just blanch them, take the skins off, and do a rough chop just so they aren't whole. Think this would work?
Has anyone frozen tomatoes and used them in the future? How do they hold up?
grapefruit / 4442 posts
@MrsBrewer: can you make tomato sauce with it and put them in ice cube trays then transfer to a big freezer bag?
from this blog you can just pop them in the freezer http://www.thekitchn.com/the-easiest-way-to-preserve-to-154890
pomegranate / 3388 posts
Sounds like it would work well! You could also blanch, then puree, if you tend to use a lot of recipes that require pureed tomatoes. We're probably going to be in the same boat as you this weekend -- figuring out what to do with all of these tomatoes before they go bad!
coconut / 8854 posts
@bunnylove08: I love making chili in the winter (I make it a lot!!) but I always use canned diced tomatoes. So I was planning on using fresh this winter instead.
Thanks for the link on just freezing them whole! I think I might just do that instead! 
Sounds like when I thaw them, that the skin will just peel right off!
pomegranate / 3113 posts
You can actually freeze them whole if you want! Just toss them in a ziplock bag (does take up extra room though, if freezer space is a consideration). When you take them out of the freezer, just let them thaw a bit and the skins will peel right off, easy peasy. They are absolutely fine to use in cooked dishes, but I wouldn't use them in salads because they go a bit mushy and watery when frozen.
ETA: whoops, it took me awhile to finish my post, looks like you already saw that whole is an option, haha.
grapefruit / 4800 posts
I dice them up and put them on a baking sheet with some olive oil and basil and cook them at 250-300 for a couple hours. This makes them not quite sun-dried but retain significantly less water so they take up less room in the freezer. After they cool down I pop them in a several freezer bags (I double bag them and get rid of the air to help prevent freezer burn). I don't like canning so for me it's the easiest alternative without having to take up as much freezer room as freezing whole tomatoes would be.
honeydew / 7463 posts
@MrsBrewer: I see you already got the info on freezing them whole, but this website is GREAT. This is the link to whole tomatoes, but if you click on the "Home" link it takes you to a whole directory.
The site is all about shelf life and storage of practically every food you can think of! Super helpful!
coconut / 8854 posts
Thanks everyone!!! Looks like I can freeze them! Awesome!
Freezer space isn't much of an issue, we have a spare fridge/freezer in our basement that I can use the freezer part as well
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