Tomatoes are definitely good friends when it comes to making stews sauces or even sandwiches, and it’s not always your plan to make use of a large quantity at once or having to run down to the store to get a few when you just want to make lunch. Why go through all that stress when you can simply have ready-to-use tomatoes at hand. You might be wondering “how so?”. Well, that is exactly why you should keep reading….
- FREEZING
The simplest method to store any of your edibles is by freezing and it’s definitely no different with tomatoes. You can either decide to freeze them whole or cut them up first and put them in a Ziploc or any storage container before freezing. This way your tomatoes remain fresh and ready to use any time you need them.
- CANNING
Perhaps your freezer cannot afford to use up half its space for just tomatoes. Here is another method that would to the trick. All you just need to do is have a clean jar, put your tomatoes in it and then seal it. Put the jars in a saucepan or pot filled with water and boil it for an hour, leave to cool and then remove the jars. Do ensure the jars are completely air tight
- DRY THEM
Yes, it is as easy as it sounds. All you need to do is dry them! Cut up your tomatoes in slices first, you don’t expect to dry a whole tomato do you? After cutting them up you can use an oven or a dehydrator to begin the drying process. After drying them for about 8-10 minutes, you can take them out and proceed to store in a container. You can also put them in the freezer to extend their life.
- COOK IN OLIVE OIL
Although the process is quite lengthy this is also a wonderful method of preserving tomatoes. All you need to do is cut up your tomatoes in halves and then place them inside part up in a baking pan side by side but make sure they are not too tight. Proceed to pour your olive oil in until the tomatoes are covered. Cook in the oven for 4-5 hours until the tomatoes have shrunk. Allow to cool then transfer it to an air tight container.
Now you don’t have to be worried about have to rush out to get tomatoes or have to part with more tomatoes than you can eat.
