Once your tomatoes are grown and you start to harvest them, you’ll wonder how you’ll keep those tomatoes for the winter. Food preservation may be a skill that has become rare in our grocery society with 24/7 access to fresh fruits and vegetables regardless of the time of year.
Yet preserving your home harvest is straightforward and may bring a fun family activity also. Plus, you get to enjoy your fresh, homegrown tomatoes all year long!
WAYS TO PRESERVE TOMATOES
There are some ways to preserve tomatoes and everyone has advantages and drawbacks. Here are the foremost popular.
CANNING TOMATOES
Canning may be a popular method, but it’s not about tin cans – instead, it’s about bottling. this is often a superb thanks to keeping all types of food, not just tomatoes, preserved for years. The key to bottling tomatoes is to urge them done when fresh and ripe (there also are pickling methods for green tomatoes) and to feature juice (about 2 tablespoons per quart of tomatoes) so as to stay the pH levels low enough to stay bacteria from growing. Canning requires only basic tools and boiling water. you’ll also pre-make several favorite tomato recipes like pasta sauces, cut or diced tomatoes, tomato soup, or simply can the tomatoes whole.
FREEZING TOMATOES
Freezing could be the foremost popular method used today due to its simplicity and therefore the incontrovertible fact that almost every household has access to a freezer. Frozen tomatoes lose their texture, however, in order that they will only be suitable for cooking when thawed. Whole tomatoes, stewed, juiced, or pre-made tomato dishes can all be frozen easily.
DRYING TOMATOES
Drying tomatoes is another very fashionable method and is that the cheapest and simplest to try to do. Just cut the tomatoes thinly and put out into the sun (or use a dehydrator) to dry thoroughly. They become crispy and almost like potato chips inconsistency, but they will be easily rehydrated (just immerse in water) or used crumbled or as whole slices on sandwiches, in soups, on salads, and more! For the frugal who don’t have tons of kit and would like an easy method, this is often the thanks to going.
PICKLING TOMATOES
Pickling is another popular method, especially for unripened green tomatoes. Most of the caveats with canning are included here, but vinegar (preferably apple cider vinegar) is employed instead of juice. Pickled tomatoes are preserved in texture, but will lose some flavor (or have it replaced with a more acidic, punchy flavor).
Pickled tomatoes are popular to be used as fried, chopped salad additives, and in many recipes for chile and other dishes. Most pickled tomatoes are preserved whole because the skin acts as a barrier to a number of the vinegar’s qualities. The longer pickled tomatoes sit before use, the mushier and fewer tomato flavored they’ll be when used. Most picklers expect to use their tomatoes within a year, but they will technically last for several years.
TOMATO PRESERVES
Tomato preserves are almost like canned or pickled tomatoes but are most frequently put up as ingredients or jam. Yes, you read right: tomato jam. It’s actually excellent. Several recipes are out there for this method and, just like the other canning methods, it’s hooked into acid levels to remain clean.
No matter your chosen preservation method, make certain to label your containers in order that you recognize when the tomatoes were put up for later use. This allows you to rotate the older ones out and keep track of what was made and when. Labels that include the sort of tomato (variety, state when preserved, etc.) also are an excellent idea.
