Freezing Tomatoes-The simplest way to preserve tomatoes
Inside: Freezing tomatoes is the simplest way to preserve them. This tutorial will show you how easy it is to freeze your extra tomatoes.
If you are growing a garden, you most likely are growing tomatoes. Research shows that of people who garden, upwards of 90% grow tomatoes. So what if you have them growing out your ears? Preserve them. And the easiest way to preserve them is to freeze them.
Freezing tomatoes is so simple, you’ll never let another tomato rot on the counter again. This method can also be helpful if you get a great deal on tomatoes at the farmer’s market.
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You only need 3 things to preserve tomatoes – a freezer, freezer bags (and spring for FREEZER bags, not storage bags) and … tomatoes!
Freezing Tomatoes Without Breaking a Sweat
This may be the hardest tutorial you’ve ever read. (Heavy sarcasm intended!)
First, wash those tomatoes. Either dry them or let them dry on their own.
Once dry, pop them into freezer bags. Place in the freezer. Done.
Yep.
Done! That’s all there is to freezing tomatoes!
See how easy that was? No peeling, no chopping. No hauling out a heavy canner.
The great thing about this method is that even if you only have an extra tomato or two every few days, you can still accumulate quite a stash without too much trouble. You can continue to add tomatoes to the bag every time you have an extra one.
You don’t have to wait until you have enough to haul out the canner or the dehydrator. This is a perfect method for those of you who have just started gardening or are growing a few tomato plants in containers.
And I freeze all different kinds together. I usually grow Romas, cherries, and beefsteak tomatoes and I throw whatever is available into a freezer bag. (See picture above. All of these went into the same bag.) Of course, you are welcome to keep the varieties separate if you so choose.
Since the skins are still on the tomatoes, they don’t stick together in one big blob. You can pull out just what you need when you need them.
Update: I have been freezing tomatoes like this for years. I have found that they are a bit easier to work with if you take the time to halve the tomatoes and remove the core before freezing.
HOWEVER, if you don’t have the time (and sometimes I just don’t) popping those tomatoes directly into the bag is a lifesaver. No more tomatoes left rotting on the counter.
Removing Air From the Freezer Bag
I also wanted to share this hack I learned about how to remove excess air from freezer bags. I was talking to a friend recently and she didn’t know this trick so I wanted to share it.
Once you have your freezer bag filled with tomatoes, grab a straw. Paper, plastic, or silicone straws work best but you can make do with a metal one if that’s all you have.
Seal the bag almost all the way to the end. Slip the straw in the end and suck the remaining air out. Quickly remove the straw and seal the rest of the bag closed.
This works similar to a vacuum sealer (though not quite as well). But it does help remove more air from the bag of tomatoes.
You can also use this hack on any kind of produce or other items you are freezing. The one thing I would NOT use it on is raw meat. The risk of accidentally ingesting a bit of raw meat and it making me sick is a risk I just don’t want to take.
How to Use Frozen Tomatoes
When you are ready to use those tomatoes all you need to do is thaw them in the refrigerator. Once thawed, the skins will slip right off. Easy, peasy. Then you can chop them however you need them for each recipe.
Now, frozen tomatoes can’t be eaten like fresh tomatoes, but neither can most preserved vegetables. I will tell you though that they are excellent in soup and they are great in salsa if you drain them just a bit. We use them in recipes all winter long!
Freeze Tomatoes NOW To Can Later
You can also freeze your tomatoes during the summer and can them during the winter if you choose. I know lots of friends that do this so they don’t have to heat their kitchen up during the summer.
This is such a time saver when all that produce is rolling in and you don’t have time to preserve it all immediately.
If you want to harvest the first tomatoes in your neighborhood, you should definitely check out this post. It tells you how to get a jump on growing the most popular garden vegetable in the US.
So even if you just have a couple of tomato plants, you shouldn’t let any go to waste. A couple of minutes is all it takes to preserve those extra tomatoes.
And this winter, when the stores are full of bland, flavorless red blobs, you’ll be glad you took the time to freeze your homegrown goodness.
Do you preserve any of your homegrown produce? What is your favorite method to store your harvest?
Related Posts
- This easy freezer salsa is another great use for those homegrown tomatoes if you want to preserve salsa that is ready to serve.
- Would you like to learn more ways to preserve your garden goodness? These are the best preserving books I’ve found for beginners.
- If you need to determine what types of tomatoes to grow for next year, learn how to decide the best tomatoes to grow for your backyard garden.
Meet Julie
I’m a farm girl born and bred in North Carolina. I’ve been growing a vegetable garden for over 20 years (and helping my Mom grow hers even longer). I’ve been raising chickens in my bathtub and backyard for 12+ years. I believe that homegrown food can be made simple. Let’s get started.
Have a question to those of you that have froze tomatoes , can you tell me if it changes the taste in them or not?
Thank you
It really doesn’t change the taste as much as canning does. However, it does change the texture. You won’t be able to use them like fresh tomatoes as they will be softer and have more liquid than fresh tomatoes but this is a great way to preserve tomatoes if you don’t have a lot of time or you have just a few extras.
Thank you for posting this! This year we have had the biggest bumper crop ever, averaging close to 25 lbs of tomatoes per plant! This will help make processing so much easier, and no need to cook!! Yeah!
That’s truly a bumper crop. I’m so glad you had a great harvest this year. Good luck freezing those tomatoes. You’ll be so thankful for them this winter.
I’ve been freezing extra tomatoes since forever. I use my FoodSaver to vacuum whole tomatoes, AFTER I have first frozen them, so that the juice doesn’t get drawn into the mechanism. All winter, every time I see them in the freezer they look exactly as they did when first I picked them, which is a psychological “high” every time. When thawing, the water separates out from the juice which saves time if you need to cook them down to sauce thickness. Indeed, the peels slip right off. I can’t imagine why one would slave away in the hot summer canning tomatoes when it is so easy to freeze the beauties.
I have to agree with you! The only reason I can or dehydrate tomatoes anymore is when I run out of freezer space. Freezing tomatoes is just so EASY!
How do you defrost them?
To defrost the frozen tomatoes, I usually just take a bag out of the freezer and place it in a bowl in the refrigerator for about 24 hours to thaw.
What if tomatoes have a bad place on them or they split on the vine?
Some people will say throw them away. Personally, I cut any bad places off or cut out any split areas before freezing. Of course, please do what you are most comfortable doing in that regards.
Yes! I recently started doing this, too. What a lifesaver! Freezing tomatoes allows me to can them when I want to instead of feeling under the gun during the harvest season.
I agree. Harvest season is always such a busy time.
I remove the seeds from the romas first then freeze only because I can’t eat them and it saves so much space in the freezer bags which makes more room for freezing more tomatoes! Thanks for reassuring everyone that this CAN be done and what a great spaghetti and pizza sauce it makes too. I really appreciate it in the dead cold of winter to have my fresh tomato soup also. Enjoy!
That is a great idea to remove the seeds. I bet it saves a ton of room. And nothing tastes as good as tomato soup in the winter made from tomatoes you preserved yourself!
Julia, I had forgotten that you can freeze tomatoes like this. Thanks for the post and I loved all the great pics!! We have a great batch of tomatoes coming on this years so I am hoping to have lots to can and freeze!
Thanks! I just froze some too. We haven’t had too many this year, but I’ve at least been able to put up the ones we don’t eat fresh.
Thank so much for your suggestion ,I was overwhelmed with garden tom, I was about to toss them, now there in my freezer,yeiiiii!!! Thank you Lety
I’m so glad you found this post helpful. Thanks for letting me know. I’m sure you will enjoy those homegrown tomatoes this winter.