Storing tomatoes

18 years ago

I'm trying to figure out the best way of storing tomatoes that I can't use right away.

I have one almost ripe Sausage tomato on the vine and 6-8 various ripening tomatoes. I'm going to be away from home for five days. What will happen to them while I'm gone if I leave them on the vine? I've read that refrigerating tomatoes damages taste, texture, and nutrients, so I don't want to do that. And my air conditioning isn't working right now, so the kitchen will get very warm, like in the 80s. The den is cooler, but I don't really have a place to store them. And I have very curious cats, who might get into them.

On a related question, I'm growing tomatoes mainly for paste and sauce, so I'd want to wait until I had a fairly good amount before I started processing them into sauce. Ideally, I wanted to make dedicated sauces for each tomato variety so I could compare the taste, Roma vs. Sausage vs. Viva Italia, etc., but the tomatoes may or may not let me do that. But I have the same question. How do I store the tomatoes that have ripened while I'm waiting for enough to ripen so I can make sauce?

I have green bags. What if I wrapped them in green bags and left them on the kitchen counter? Or in a cupboard? I still worry about the heat, though. Wrap them in newspaper?

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Comments (6)

digdirt2
18 years ago
Just freeze them whole until you are ready to process them. Wash, remove cores if you wish, (not required) and toss into a ziplock bag and into the freezer. When ready to process, the skins slip right off.

Dave
holly-2006
18 years ago
Yup, that's what I do. Just wash and core them and toss into a freezer bag. As the toms ripen, you can just add to the bag until it's filled.

I have found that when the bags are thawed, I usually have to pour out a fair bit of water before processing, but that's not a big deal and it doesn't seem to affect the flavor much. Still end up with a great sauce when all is done.
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windclimber
18 years ago
Holly:

What is the reason for coreing them before tossing them in the freezer?

Tom
lilacs_of_may
Original Author
18 years ago
I have a tomato mill (don't know if that's the proper name for it or not) that I plan to use to process the tomatoes for sauce. I'm assuming I can't put the frozen tomatoes through it, so do I just take off the skins, let them thaw completely, and then just process them as usual? I've heard that freezing changes the texture but if I'm going to cook them down into paste that won't make a difference, will it?

Yes, I'm a tomato growing and sauce making newbie.
kdawg
18 years ago
***And I have very curious cats, who might get into them.

Tomatoes (along with a lot of other plants and common substances including chocolate) are quite toxic to cats. For the most part they have the sense to stay away from things that are bad for them... but not always, especially if they're mixed with something tasty.
digdirt2
18 years ago
What is the reason for coreing them before tossing them in the freezer?

The reason for coring them before freezing is because it is easier to do then it will be once they defrost. You are then trying to cut out the core from either a block of ice or a handful of squish. ;) But if you are going to be milling them for sauce you don't have to remove the cores, just thaw well first. The mill will remove the skin, seeds, and core.

I'm assuming I can't put the frozen tomatoes through it, so do I just take off the skins, let them thaw completely, and then just process them as usual?

You can't put them through frozen of course but once they thaw they process through most food mills just as they would if you hadn't frozen them. Depending on the type of mill you use, you can do them well thawed or somewhat pre cooked - different mills require different pre-processing. The food mill removes the skins, not you. That's the big advantage to using a food mill.

Dave