We have a ton of tomatoes in our garden and I'm wondering what I need to do to freeze them? We can't eat them quick enough and have given a lot away. It would be nice to be able to save money and somehow use them over the winter. I was thinking of something more like a sauce but I don't want to can them. What should I do with them?

I'm in the same boat here! I've been picking them and putting them in a bag in the fridge if I can't tend to them right away. I made one batch of tomato/spag. sauce that came out awesome and I just froze it in a freezer container. I think I may buy freezer bags and just do it that way since I know nothing about canning either, but boy there was nothing like fresh tomato sauce!! Good luck, hth!

If you want to freeze them, blanch them to slip off the skin. Then split them open and empty the seeds. Put the tomato meat on a cookie sheet (either lightly grease the pan or use parchment paper) and freeze them. You can then put the tomato pieces in a ziplock bag to keep them frozen. Use the tomatoes for soups, stews or sauces during the winter.

I also recommend dehydrating a tray of them. Prepare them like above - slip the skins and deseed them - then slice them and lay them out on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Put them in your oven at the lowest possible setting (usually 250 degrees F but at least 150 degrees). Keep them in there until they are dehydrated to a crisp, leathery stage. Store them in a jar on the shelf. When you make egg dishes (like omelets) or stews you can toss in a few of these dehydrated tomatoes. They lend a tart, smoky flavor to whatever you're cooking and it tastes sooooo gourmet.

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"I've been rich and I've been poor but independently wealthy is where it is at."

Tomato sauces freeze great! I would put the sauce in quart size bags and lay them flat so that they will thaw fairly quickly for you.

I do something really quick and easy instead of messing with doing sauce's and things.I take them and put them in hot water until the peel breaks or peeling back toss them into a cold water bath and then when cool enough to handle I take them and take the peel off and use a large measuring cup and after I get the peel off I squeeze them gently so juices don't go flying everywhere and do them in batches of 3 or 4 cups and put them in bowls or bags and freeze them.Doing it this way is good for soups and chili.Not good for making a tomatoes sauce cause them come out juicy.

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*Wife to Rick since (14 years)*
~Mom to 2 boys Dakota 13 & Ryan 9~
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~Month~Budget~Spent~
February~400.00~380.35(under 19.65)
March~400.00~419.65(over 19.65)
April~400.00~395.94(under 4.06)
May~400.00~391.53(under 8.47)
June~375.00~373.13(under 1.87)
July~375.00~365.62(under 9.38)
August~365.00~363.24(under 1.76)
September~355.00~292.74(under 62.26)
October~345.00~345.00(even)
November~350.00~352.81(over 2.81)
December~340.00