can and how...do i make a tomatto sauce with tomattoes that i grew and then froze whole?

Question

i have about 8 six foot tomato plants loaded. i picked 4 today and put them in the freezer. i have a load of them turning red, and a whole lot of green ones.i was wondering if i can use them frozen to make a sauce? i froze them whole and uncut, so i want to know what to with the tomatoes as theyt ripen? can i freeze them and use them? do i have 2 take out the seeds? some one please help me...i hate for all these tomatoes to go 2 waist...sincerly...derrick cooper! mr.green thumb..aka..mr.mom!

Answer 1

Yes you can use them frozen and whole in chili, gumbo, spaghetti, but you really should take off the skins after blanching them. They come out really gummy in sauces if you don't take off the skins. You don't really have to take the seeds out unless you are making sauces. There are a ton of recipes for sauces for just about anything tomato based on the food network site and you can make and freeze all of them in ziplock bags. I usually blanch mine, take the seeds out, stick them in the food processor with some garlic cloves, fresh basil, onion powder, salt and pepper as a base. I freeze that and then use those to jump off to paella, chili, vodka cream sauce, gumbo, sweet n' sour, spaghetti, etc.

Answer 2

Thaw out the tomatoes, and seed them, add a little water, I would also add a little salt. Begin to cook them down slowly. Also you can buy canning jars and place the sauce in them leaving a 1/4 in at top. Can them in a water bath. You can buy a water bath canner for 15.00. Follow instructions and boil for 10 minutes. These will stay preserved for 2 years

Another thing I make is salsa. I put whole tomatoes, jalapenos, and onion in a huge pot, fill about half with water. Cook down about 1 hour or till soft, can't really burn if you keep a little water in it. Sometimes I cook for hours to get it thicker. Mash together, (you may need to add more tomatoes, if too hot or more peppers if not hot enough), add a little salt, garlic powder, and cumin to taste. Can it the same way as before.

When I worked full time. I would sell my salsa like crazy!

Gardening is fun, but I fell in love with canning. I make jellies and all kinds of other stuff

Answer 3

You need a moulee to make a thick puree with the frozen tomatoes cooked and let cool enough to use the moulee. Thinner than ketchup. Pass through a screen sieve. That makes great soup with cooked rice. For sauce, I like butter, about 4 Tbl, almost to burning, throw in 2-3 Tbl of flour to absorb the butter, churning with a wire whisk. Keep adding the tomato soup mixture until you get the consistency back enough to a sauce.

For a spicy, such as enchilada sauce, 4 Tbl of very hot cooking oil, the flour, the tomato soup, a little chili powder, black pepper, salt.

Tomato plants can out produce your needs and I also like salsa. But that takes canning and another whole yahoo! answer ;)

But really, frozen tomatoes make the best sauce and soup.

Answer 4

For making sauce, let's hope you blanched the tomatos before freezing. Take the tomato tops off and then toss in hot water (like hot tap water). In a matter of seconds, the skin will become loose and y ou can slip it right off. Set in a collander to drain just a bit before you toss it into a freezing container and you're ready for the freezer.

When you want to make sauce, just start them in a pot. Cook long enough to get some of the moisture out and reduce it to the right thickness.

Answer 5

To use the frozen tomatoes, remove them from the freezer a few at a time or all at once. To peel, just run a frozen tomato under warm water in the kitchen sink. Its skin will slip off easily.

Freezing peeled tomatoes

If you prefer to freeze peeled tomatoes, you can wash the tomatoes and then dip them in boiling water for about 1 minute or until the skins split. Peel and then freeze as noted above

Answer 6

Fresh tomatoes can be used for sauce but should be supplemented with canned tomatoes to get the best sauce. Also, you should remove the seeds as they make the sauce bitter. A food mill works great for removing seeds.

By the way, did you at least blanch the tomatoes before freezing? You should blanch them to kill any bacteria before freezing.

Answer 7

Thaw them and quarter them. Put them in a pot and simmer them down. Add other things that you want in it - onions, mushrooms, garlic, etc. I add white wine to mine. It will be acidic, but adding about a cup of sugar or grape jam (sounds weird, I know), it will nutralize the acid. Then after all has gotten down to the consistancy you like (all broken down or still chunky), add some tomato PASTE. Start off adding a spoonfull and it will thinken. Add to thicken to your liking. Then enjoy!