# Freezing fresh tomatoes to can later?



## fireweed farm (Dec 31, 2010)

Harvest season is pretty busy for me, is there any safety issues to consider if I were to pick and freeze all my tomatoes for canning sometime over winter?
Thanks!


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## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

I've frozen tomatoes whole before and slipped the skins off as they began to thaw. No safety issues I can think of. However, if you are canning them whole they might be mushier. But should be fine for sauce.


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## Chixarecute (Nov 19, 2004)

They're also fine for salsa!


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## grayrecliner (Jul 13, 2007)

Do it all the time. Wash tomatoes, cut out core and give a squeeze to get out most of the seeds and freeze in ice cream pails. In the winter, when I've got the wood stove going, I thaw enough to pick out pieces of ice (mostly water) and cook up with onions and celery and then run thru the colander. By that time it's thickened some. Can as is, make spaghetti sauce or we often add browned hamburger, beans, etc. and pressure can as chili. If you've got the freezer space and no time, it's the way to go.


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## chickenista (Mar 24, 2007)

I do it every year.
Why can in the heat of summer when I can can in the middle of wnter when I need the heat and humidity!
I just drop them into bags and into the freezer.
Pull them out in the winter, let them thaw and pull the skins off (in one easy piece)
and let them drain a bit.
Ta Da!
Tomatoes ready to can!
I do it with fruit as well.. peaches, berries etc...


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## fireweed farm (Dec 31, 2010)

Wonderful news, what a relief. Thanks!


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## Jeepgirl86 (May 18, 2012)

I do this too when harvest is just starting or finishing up. I have found them to have more water so takes longer to cook down to a thick sauce, but that isn't really a big issue.


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## fffarmergirl (Oct 9, 2008)

That's how I do it, too - and since I grow heirloom tomatoes, I save the seeds. I get lazy and don't save the seeds until in the Spring when I'm processing my last batch of tomatoets, and they grow just fine from frozen whole tomatoes. Not every one will sprout but many do.

I do mine a little differently than I've seen anybody else do them. I throw the frozen tomatoes in boiling water for a short time and then slip off the skins and pop them in the crock pot and turn it on high. When they're almost thawed, there will be a bunch of clear water in the crock pot. I pour that out and remove the parts of the tomatoes where the stems were, then cook them down to sauce in the crockpot overnight. Very little work.


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## praieri winds (Apr 16, 2010)

after I take them from the freezer I lace them in a pan and cook, cool then I put them though my strainer then the jice and pulp are put into a shallow pan and set into a low oven to thicken I set the temp at about 125 to 150 then I have thick sauce to can or dry


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