Getting Started…
Tomatoes can be stewed or cooked down into sauce before freezing, but the easiest thing to do, when they are overflowing from the veggie patch, is to freeze them whole.
- Wash and core ripe, firm, un-bruised tomatoes of uniform size then place them, in a single layer, on a baking sheet in the freezer and leave until frozen solid.
- Once frozen, transfer them to freezer bags.
- To use for cooking, simply shower them with a spray of warm water to thaw and slide the skins off.
- Stuffed tomatoes can be prepped and baked in quantity and then frozen for later use.
Gently washed herbs can also be freeze-dried on baking sheets, and then bagged for freezer storage. For herbs that you will likely add to sauces or soups, freeze them in ice cube trays.
- This can make for even more convenience later if you measure a set quantity, say one teaspoon, into each compartment of the tray. Fill the remaining space with water then freeze.
- When frozen solid, place the cubes into freezer bags or containers, being sure to note the quantity of herb per cube.
- For basil lovers, try making pesto and then freezing it – with one tablespoon per cube – no water needed. Pesto cubes, like the herb ice cubes, are perfect for tossing one or two at a time into soups for a burst of fresh flavor or for thawing in larger quantities for pasta or pizza topping.
