Brrr... Freezing Tomatoes

Really. Don't overthink it. Got freezer bags? Got an excess of tomatoes? Freeze them whole. 

Right. That's what I said. Freeze them whole - - and without blanching!

Using this quick process you will have tomatoes to last you through the winter for soups and sauces. You can pull out the number of tomatoes needed and prepare and cook according to the recipe. Even better, the freezing of these red globes will also make the skins easier to remove. Thaw in warm water and the skins will slide off leaving you with only the juice and the meaty part of the tomato. 

How to freeze?

Choose only the best and blemish-free tomatoes for this freezing process. Remove stems. Clean the tomatoes under cool water. Dry each tomato. Depending on the number of tomatoes to freeze and the size of the freezer bag, think about freezing each tomato separately on a cookie sheet and then place the frozen tomatoes in a freezer bag. 

If possible try to remove the air out of the freezer bags once it is filled with tomatoes - and keep it in mind to continue removing air as the number of tomatoes is used. A plastic beverage straw works well to suck out any remaining air. Immediately close the freezer bag pushing out the air. 

Frozen tomatoes will freeze well for six months. 

Other vegetables that can be frozen without a lot of preparation and no blanching is corn removed or still on the cob (husks and silk removed). Also, try no blanching with bell, sweet, or hot peppers (sliced, chopped, or whole) and chopped or sliced onions. If this process was good enough for my grandmother, it's good enough for me.