The best way to preserve tomatoes

Questioning what to do with a glut of tomatoes? Beautiful as it’s to obtain a bumper harvest of any crop, when all of it comes directly, you’ll be able to’t probably eat all of it. Pals and neighbours will solely take a lot, and it’s such a disgrace to see all of your scrumptious meals go previous its best and find yourself on the compost heap. 

We requested gardening bloggers what they do after they haven’t been in a position to resist rising too many tomato plants. In case you’re searching for new methods to preserve your tomatoes, listed here are six nice concepts to strive…

1. Selfmade passata
2. Dried tomatoes
3. Tomato chutney
4. Tomato relish
5. Pickled tomatoes
6. Tomato-based ‘ready meals’

1. Selfmade passata

Selfmade passata might be frozen or preserved in jars and bottles
Picture: Tin & Thyme

A central a part of a Mediterranean weight loss program, passata provides a style of summer time and is the proper base for pasta sauces, chillies and extra. For the true Italian methodology, wash and prep your tomatoes, eradicating the seeds, then blanch them in boiling water till they soften and the skins start to peel. Now push by way of a sieve or mouli, till solely the skins stay.

Sterilise your storage jars or bottles, add a leaf or two of contemporary basil to every, and stir salt into the tomato paste simply earlier than pouring. Fill your jars to inside a few centimetres of the highest, then seal and boil for no less than half an hour and permit to cool in a single day.

In search of a faster end result? Choclette, from Tin & Thyme makes her easy tomato sauce by blitzing all of the uncooked elements in a blender earlier than decreasing it at a low simmer on the hob. See her recipe for the complete methodology, and to uncover why a splash of tamari could make all of the distinction to the ultimate flavour!

Brief on freezer area? Mandy, at MandyCanUDigIt, additionally makes use of the hob to produce a deliciously wealthy and super-concentrated tomato sauce that’s appropriate for freezing. For full directions take a look at her submit on how to deal with a bumper crop of tomatoes.

And should you’re going to preserve something efficiently, you’ll want to know how to sterilise your bottles and jars. Choclette’s detailed directions over at Tin & Thyme will assist you to with the method, whether or not you like the dishwasher, oven, microwave or water bathtub methodology. As she says, “there’s nothing more disappointing than opening a jar of mould.”

2. Dried tomatoes

Monika makes tomato crisps utilizing a dehydrator
Picture: @monikabrzoza

One of many best methods to preserve tomatoes is to dehydrate them, says Carla Whitehouse from @flowers_and_veg_at_no_57.The historic follow of eradicating moisture from contemporary fruit and veg, meat and fish, learn Carla’s submit explaining how dehydrating fresh food stops “micro-organisms like yeast, mould, and bacteria from growing, and preserves food for future use while keeping nutrients intact.”

Monika Brzoza, who shares lovely images by way of @monikabrzoza (and runs an expert gardening enterprise by way of @BloomingSistersLondon) says dehydrating can be her favorite preservation methodology. She shops her dried tomatoes in herb oil with some chillies added or unfastened in hermetic jars – oh, and he or she saves some to function crisps which she says style beautiful sprinkled with salt and garlic pepper!

In case you don’t have a dehydrator, merely use your oven to dry your tomato glut. Simply minimize into slices and unfold in a single layer over a baking tray or rack, and pop them within the oven on a low warmth till brittle. Kev at An English Homestead says he “dries carrots and tomatoes to use in stews and soups. I store these in jars so no plastic is used and I have some open-fronted shelves in a purpose-built pantry so we know how much we have left.”

3. Tomato chutney

Katie at The Marmalade Teapot makes this scrumptious tomato chutney
Picture: The Marmalade Teapot

Who can resist the aroma from a effervescent pan of spicy tomato chutney? Katie at The Marmalade Teapot says: “one of my favourite & most popular preserves is my tomato chutney. It’s great with cheese, in sandwiches, salads or even tossed through some pasta. I like to pot this up into little chutney jars & give away as gifts over the festive period.” Does that sound tempting? Head over to Katie’s weblog for the complete methodology – this can be a actually scrumptious recipe that anybody can strive.

4. Tomato relish

Eli and Kate relish the chance to make…relish
Picture: Within the Backyard with Eli and Kate

In case you like just a little warmth, you may additionally contemplate making this spicy tomato relish. Over on the fashionable weblog and YouTube channel, Within the Backyard with Eli and Kate, the women used up the final of the beefsteak ‘Marmane’ tomatoes from their greenhouse by doing simply that.

You’ll want to pores and skin your tomatoes for this recipe. A simple course of, Eli says all you want to do is, “make a cross in the bottom then put them in boiling water for 30 seconds. Take them out and plunge them in ice water for 30 seconds. The skin comes right off.” Do take a look at their weblog submit for the complete directions.

tip for residence chutney-makers comes courtesy of Richard from The Veg Grower Podcast. He prefers a protracted sluggish cook dinner to launch all of the flavours, and so makes use of a sluggish cooker. In case you do have to use a big saucepan, he says, “one key thing I learned is that when making chutneys over a few hours, make sure to give the mixture a little stir every now and then so as not to let the mixture catch.”

5. Pickled tomatoes

Sam, aka the Hairy Horticulturist, is a giant fan of pickling. He says, “you might disagree but I believe you can pickle anything and I’m a big fan of pickled onions, beetroot, cabbage, cucumber, tomatoes and cucamelons… Grab some vinegar, reuse some glass jars and discover endless recipes online! Get on, give it a try, you won’t regret it.”

When individuals consider pickles, they typically consider exhausting veg like onions or beetroot, however you’ll be able to simply pickle tomatoes too. In search of a recipe? Head over to BBC Food for full elements and directions from much-loved cookery professional Nigel Slater – all you want is vinegar, pickling spice, sterilised glass jars, a saucepan and a way of culinary journey.

6. Tomato-based ‘ready meals’

Wealthy tomato-based prepared meals are a winter life-saver says Claire Crawford
Picture: @sowing_at_the_stoop

As a result of tomatoes make such an incredible base for sauces and stews, it’s a good suggestion to batch cook dinner your glut and freeze it down so that you simply’ve all the time acquired a tasty home-made prepared meal ready for you within the freezer while you’re late residence from work, or in an excessive amount of of a rush to cook dinner from scratch. Richard at The Veg Grower Podcast informed us that he likes to inventory his freezer with home made curries, stews and bolognaise to see him by way of the chilly winter months.

Claire Crawford, at @sowing_at_the_stoop, makes an incredible pasta sauce which she pops into the freezer prepared for darkish winter evenings. The methodology? “Roast tomatoes and courgettes with onions and garlic, and some fresh rosemary in a little oil.” Bake for half-hour at 180 levels till the tomatoes start to caramelise. As soon as they’ve cooled, blitz with a hand blender, and freeze. Claire says, “it’s delicious stirred through pasta for a meat-free meal, or poured over cod and baked again in the oven.”

Andrew Oldham at Life on Pig Row makes use of an analogous recipe and approach – he says “Remember that this sauce will reduce more when you come to cook it again so add water to the pan and cook it through before adding to cooking meat.”

We hope our ideas on preserving tomatoes offer you some nice concepts for coping with your individual tomato glut. Whether or not you determine to freeze, dry, pickle, oven roast or stew your fruit, do ensure you use it up. As Andrew says, even when your tomatoes are just a little previous their best, “don’t chuck them, sauce them!”

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