Tip: Freeze Tomatoes to use later

Here’s an easy tip if you want to savor fresh tomato flavor but are too lazy to can: freeze them!

September and October is a great time in the Bay Area where you can get ripe tomatoes at a pretty good price since it’s the end of the season. It’s tempting to buy a lot of tomatoes but there’s only so much you can eat in a week before it goes bad.

What can you do? Canning is always an option especially if you have a massive quantity but it’s a labor-intensive process that requires specific equipment from canning pots to funnels to jars.

Another great, quick option to keep a couple of extra pounds of tomatoes? Freeze them.

You can enjoy farmers market or garden tomatoes all winter long by freezing them. I recently discovered this fantastic tip last summer and it has changed my cooking life. It’s less time-consuming than canning and you don’t need any special equipment. However, you will need room in your freezer.

Here’s how to freeze fresh tomatoes.

1. Wash, core, and dry whole ripe tomatoes. It’s important that they’re dry before you put them in the freezer.
2. Weigh and place tomatoes in a sealable plastic bag, removing as much of the excess air before closing. For ease and convenience, weigh what you normally use in each bag. For instance, I weigh bags in 28 ounces which is the size of a large can of tomatoes. When I want to make tomato sauce, it’s easy to grab a bag without thinking too much.
3. Label each bag with the name, date, and weight of the components. Then, place the bag in the freezer.

And here is how to use your frozen tomatoes.