Master in training: Making the most of every tomato

Last time I blogged about the insanity of planting 60 tomato vines at home. I’ve got my seeds saved for next year, but in the meantime, I have to do something with all these tomatoes. After dashing out to buy a food mill -- the tool of choice in so many fresh tomato soup recipes -- I began processing fruit, 12 cups at a time. That worked for a while, and I was able to freeze some and give away batches by the quart.

But then as the wave of ripening fruit continued to build, "Sorcerer’s Apprentice"-style, I gave up and enlisted some expert help: Erik Knutzen, a neighbor and co-author of “The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-Sufficient Living in the Heart of the City.” He brought over his canning equipment, and for three hours we blanched and skinned about 20 pounds of tomatoes, stuffing them into sterilized Ball jars, which then went into the water bath.

The UC Cooperative Extension Common Ground Garden Program, which runs the master gardener program I blogged about, also has a master food preserver program. It suggests freezing: Put cleaned tomatoes on a tray and freeze them. Once they’re hard, slip them into a freezer bag. They don’t need to be skinned or cored; the skin will slip off when they defrost. But they should be used within a few months for best flavor.

Another suggestion is to make tomato juice: Simmer ripe, trimmed tomatoes for 10 minutes, and then push the softened fruit through a sieve or fine mesh. The liquid can be seasoned with lemon, lime, Worcestershire sauce, celery or garlic salt, if desired, and then poured into a freezer-proof container, leaving a half-inch of space for the liquid to expand. (Or use ice cube trays for mixed drinks.)

No matter what preservation method you’re using for ripe fruit and vegetables, follow the basic rules for harvest: Avoid bruised, cracked or soft fruit. Avoid fallen fruit. Wash and dry your harvest thoroughly. You can add a tablespoon of bleach in a gallon of wash water; at that concentration, the bleach is very diluted and you're not soaking -- simply dipping and rinsing. The beach supposedly extends the life of your fruit by killing bacteria.

Green tomatoes will continue to ripen if left in a brown paper bag for a few days. Don't leave tomatoes in the sun to ripen, and remember: Once they go in the refrigerator, the flavor deteriorates rapidly. 

-- Jeff Spurrier

Photo credit: Jeff Spurrier

Comments

[Cardie]

I think canning is great but get nervous about tomatoes for some reason..scare stories from my youth of botulism in acidic things? I don't know. What I did was oven dry mine during the bounty days, cover with olive oil and some sprigs of thyme/sage and put in fridge. A huge pile shrinks up to about a quart jar.

[Mati]

A second vote for oven-roasting. Drizzle with olive oil and roast until soft and much reduced, packing and freezing with a little more oil. Pour off the liquid from the pan and use it as a soup base or to braise fish, meat or poultry. Higher temps will give a drier, denser result.

Cardie, tomatoes can be safely canned; just follow more recent canning instructions.

[Ted Landoll]

My wife also mentioned the small risk of botulism, but thought it was low-acid foods that had the greater risk, like green beans.

I found this information:

Foods Commonly Associated with Clostridium botulinum
Clostridium botulinum is present in water and soil, so potentially any food which comes into contact with them presents a potential hazard. However, improperly processed home-canned low-acid vegetables and contaminated meats are the usual cause of food-borne botulism. Foods associated with botulism include canned asparagus, green beans, garlic in oil, corn, soups, ripe olives, tuna fish, sausage, luncheon meats, fermented meats, salad dressings, and smoked fish.

Spores have also been found on the surfaces of vegetables and fruits. During the canning process, foods undergo a hot fill process and oxygen is removed, leaving the food in an anaerobic environment. Certain foods such as meat are able to bind oxygen to create an anaerobic environment. Home canning processes for low-acid foods can present an extremely high risk if processing times and temperatures are inadequate and cans or jars are not be handled properly. The National Center for Home Food Preservation has home food preservation recipes that have been tested to ensure that they are adequate to prevent the growth of C. botulinum.

[Jack C NYC]

Good tips, thanks. I've been over growing tomatoes for years and have tons extra to give to the local soup kitchen and freeze for winter soups. I usually slice off the stem and quarter it, then bag and freeze.

[CSD]

I've safely canned salsas, tomatoes and tomato sauces with no problem. Just follow the USDA canning instructions and be sure to add acidity (lemon juice, vitamin C or vinegar depending on what you are canning) in the recommended proportion.

I've used the boiling water method with good success.

[Kingfish]

Don't worry about canning tomatoes if you do it correctly. We have jarred tomatoes from our garden for 15 years without any problems. Just get new lids and seal in boiling water for a sufficient amount of time. We immerse in boiling water for an hour. Will stay on the shelf unrefrigerated for 5 years. We eat them within 2 years.

[JP]

Why can't picked tomatoes be left to ripen in the sun? on a patio table outside for e.g.

[cam slocum]

spurrier,contact me!

[Susan Graham]

Great suggestions and examples, specially for a newbie like myself who lacks a natural sense of web design.