Summer Tomatoes of 2013

It's time to preserve our Summer tomato harvest of 2013.  You know the ONLY
bad thing about home grown tomatoes is that they all become ripe close to the same
time. You go from waiting and watching the young green marbles grow and grow into
beautiful, big, solid green tomatoes and then suddenly they are all turning red at
the same time.

Don't get me wrong, my family and I can eat ripe tomatoes with the best of them
but even after sharing our harvest with others, we still have plenty left over.
So the way to keep from losing them is to preserve them!

Let me show you how.  If you read my post on preserving fresh corn some of these steps
will seem familiar, because the concept is basically the same with a few different
techniques thrown it.  So here we go.... I promise I will try and keep this as simple
as possible because I really want you to try this.  You won't regret the effort,
especially this Winter when you are making homemade chili, stews, or other recipes
that call for tomatoes.  The freshness of the homegrown puree and tomato chunks
make all the difference in the world in the flavor of your recipes.

So, let me walk you through my first batch.

Prepare several freezer bags, label and date.  Start a large pot of water to boil.

I always use my trusty spaghetti pan.  Wash several tomatoes and cut a X mark

with a knife into the bottom of each one.  This is a very important step because it

speeds up the process.

Put several tomatoes into the boiling water.  Leave them in until you see the skins of the
tomatoes "crack".  Then remove them.

Here is how they will look.  This doesn't take very long, because you scored the bottom

of them.

Place the tomatoes in cold water or if you prefer an ice bath.  I have found that an ice
bath is not necessary, cold water works just as well.  Be sure that you dump the water
when it becomes warm and refill with cold water as needed.

 After the tomatoes have cooled off, transfer them to a large bowl and remove the skins.
You need to be sure and capture all the juice so be sure your task bowl is plenty large.

 After you have removed the skin, take a pair of scissors and cut out the top core.
Then cut the entire tomato into bite size chunks.  Do this all in this one bowl to be sure
and capture the juice, too!

Here is a shot of the assembly line that will keep you organized as you work on your
batches.  Boiling pot, cold water baths, skinning and chopped bowl.

Now you're ready to bag.  When bagging keep in mind the amount of tomatoes that come

in a large can of diced tomatoes.  This is usually around two cups, so I use a two cup

size measuring cup.  The freezer bag should be half to three quarters full.  Never fill it

all the way up, because you need room to squeeze out the excess air before sealing.

It's kind'a like preparing to go out on the town in too tight jeans!  Don't do it...always allow

a little extra room or you'll regret it!! ...... Sorry, got off track there for a minute....

See below, the bag needs extra empty space so the puree has room to settle flat.

Isn't it beautiful?  Liquid sunshine....I'm telling you!!

Be sure and  stack them flat in your freezer so they will freeze even.  

That's all there is to it! See, so simple!  I can't wait until Winter time to add

these to all kinds of comfort food recipes!  Yum! Yum!

"It's Time Has Come" for you to not be afraid to try your hand at preserving food.

 It is becoming a lost art and it is really not that difficult!  I hope you try this!  If

do and have any questions, just leave me a comment below and I will answer you.

Now I'm off to put my little jewels to bed  in the freezer.  I hope I have the patience

to save them until Winter.

                                                       XOXOXOXO

                                                              Sandra