Need help with an abundance of tomatoes! - YouLookFab Forum

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Need help with an abundance of tomatoes!

Runcarla

Veteran

The victory garden experiment is a success. Maybe too much of a success, LOL! Whereas earlier in the summer tomatoes (just 4 plants) were ripening at a rate where we could enjoy them on sandwiches, in a salad, or as bruschetta a couple times a week - they are now ripening faster than we can reasonably consume them!

Does anyone have any ideas/recipes for large quantities of garden tomatoes? Has anyone tried a roasted tomatoe soup? What about homemade tomatoe sauce? Recipes (or links to recipes) appreciated!

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Jules

Veteran

A really easy way to preserve some is to oven dry them. Basically cut in half and bake in a low oven for several hours. The result is sorta halfway between a baked tomato and sundried, and they can then be frozen to throw into pastas or salads in the dead of winter when the grocery store toms aren’t very tasty.

Inge

(website)

They look delicious, Carla!!

Maybe not a huge amount in one go, but this Nigella recipe uses about 400 gr (the recipe says canned, but it's even better with fresh tomatoes if you have yummy ones like yours).

https://www.nigella.com/recipes/eggs-in-purgatory

Inge

(website)

ETA: we had a huge freezer when I was a kid, and each year my Mum got a very large amount of different veggies from her sister-in-law. We made a day of it, helping her chop things like celery etc. which was frozen raw in portions. The tomatoes were chopped, cooked on a low simmer, portioned out and then frozen. Mum then used them all Winter long to make soups, pasta sauces and other tomato-based sauces. It's a great way to conserve large amounts of tomatoes in one go.

Minaminu

Veteran

You could do a tomato chutney

https://www.theguardian.com/li.....to-recipes

SarahD8

Veteran

I use this recipe for slow roasted tomatoes:
https://www.bonappetit.com/rec.....i-al-forno

(I use way, way less oil though — just a couple tablespoons in the bottom of the baking pan. And pick the skins off with a fork after the tomatoes are roasted)

The full recipe (layered with garlic and parsley) is great with the recommended bruschetta and goat cheese. It can also be a base for other recipes — toss is with pasta, or use it to make clam sauce for linguine, put it on pizza, etc.

I also will make a pared back version of the recipe (just follow roasting directions, don’t add anything after they come out of the oven) and freeze in portions to kick start tomato dishes through the winter. That’s what I’ll be doing later this afternoon, in fact.

nemosmom

Veteran

Cook them down in a stock pot with fresh basil, onion, garlic, etc to make pasta sauce - don't add any meat!! Ladle into freezer bags and freeze them. Thaw, add ground browned meat and enjoy over the winter!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Beautiful!

And exactly what Inge said.

Joy

Veteran

You can toss them in boiling water for a minute or so , pull off the skins, and Freeze the whole tomatoes in zip loc freezer bags for use later in chili
( they are mushy when thawed.). My grandmother used to can them...lots of them. (stewed tomatoes). I tend to have just a bumper crop of cherry tomatoes and oven roast them after cutting in half and removing seeds and some pulp and tossing in olive oil and maybe some Italian herbs. I usually keep some in olive oil in the refrigerator for salads or to add chopped to egg dishes, but sometimes freeze them. Roasting intensives the tomato flavor. Good luck. I have seen but not made tomato tarts (savory) that can be part of a vegetarian meal or a side for chicken or turkey.

JAileen

Veteran

When I have excess tomatoes, I stew them, then run them through my tomato press which removes the seeds and skins. Then I freeze the puree in zip lock bags, and laying them flat in the freezer. They store easier that way. In the winter when it’s hard to remember what summer feels like, I make tomato soup. Melt some butter, put in a little chopped garlic. Cook a little, but don’t brown. Add the tomato puree. When it's hot, season to taste. It’s perfect with grilled cheese sandwiches for a casual supper. One year I froze over 35 quarts of tomato puree.

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Jenn

(website)

Veteran

What Joy said. Once the skins are off, you can choose to freeze them whole or pre-make some sauce as nemosmom suggested.

ETA: if you cut a little X in the bottom before you drop them in boiling water, and drop them straight into a bowl of ice, the skins will slip off even more easily.

missvee

Veteran

I’ve frozen them whole, with the skins on,in large Ziploc freezer bags. When you need them for cooking, the skins will slip off under warm water. No need to defrost first.
Lucky you to have such a bountiful harvest! Our cherry tomato plant is still ripening, and the yield has been amazing. It must have been all the heat we had this summer.

L'Abeille

Veteran

For eating now, in large quantities, nothing beats Shakshuka. Stew a bunch of tomatoes with onions, peppers, spices and then poach eggs in it,

Also if you still have parsley, you can make a tabbouleh salad.

When my kids were tiny and I had an excess, I stewed them up and put them into the baby mouli. I bottled the juice that ran through the holes, and then ground up the pulp into puree that I cooked with or froze.

Joy

Veteran

Looking at your photos made me think of a beautiful but simple salad. Tomatoes of different sizes, shapes and colors were sliced and layered in a bowl with some fresh basil (or other herbs). I drizzled a good olive oil on it and added gollops of fresh mozzarella or some feta cheese, salt and pepper if desired. On a bed of lettuce, it is s sort of Salad Capreze. It goes well with grilled anything and is pretty.

JAileen

Veteran

Here’s the tomato salad I usually make:

tomatoes, crumbled feta, fresh parsley. fresh basil, avocado, vinaigrette (oil, vinegar, pepper). I use avocado oil.

The tomatoes with the beautiful color are pineapple.

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bella

(website)

Veteran

You can make tomato sauce, put in jars, seal them and enjoy your tomatoes all winter long! My mom does this a huuuge batch and brings a few jars over when she comes by. They are minimally processed (just a tiny bit of cooking), so really taste fresh and are always appreciated.

Sisi

Veteran

Another vote for homemade tomato sauce or freezing the tomatoes to use them later as you like. You are lucky to have all those tomatoes in October!

Anonymous

Roasted tomato soup is a staple in this house all winter. I buy flats of Roma tomatoes for this as I don't have a garden . Roast them with a red pepper or two, some carrots, and an onion. Blend with broth and season.. Done.

Eliza

Veteran

What a great problem to have, Carla. Here is a delicious, simple recipe for a chilled soup that really shines with garden fresh tomatoes. Perhaps a last hurrah before it is hot soups only. If you have trouble opening it, let me know and I'll help you out. It is delicious and you can play with the herbs.
https://cooking.nytimes.com/re.....o?action=c

Another garden tomato recipe that is more of main course and nice for fall is this:
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/tomato-galette

Have fun; tomato season is just about done here and I am bereft.

Cardiff girl

Veteran

I second the dried tomato idea.We have a green house and grow tomatoes every year and drying them in the oven and preserving them in olive oil is a great way to deal with a glut.Put them in pretty jars with a nice label and you ve got a great gift for someone.

cindysmith

Veteran

Canning them would be simple. Cut them up, heat them up, add lemon or lime juice to up the acidity level, put in Mason jars, drop in a water bath for about 20 minutes.

Runcarla

Veteran

Well, I roasted a bunch and made soup. DS#1 said it was the best tomato soup he’s ever had, and I had it for lunch 2 days in a row. I made a big batch and froze some. I am going to do the rendering down into a sauce thing and freezing in bags for future use. Sure like that gizmo JAileen! I think I’m going to make that galette Eliza linked to as well. Gosh, but the flavour of home grown tomatoes is good!

#1 roasted tomatoes and garlic
#2 tomato soup

Thanks a bunch, everyone!

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JAileen

Veteran

I bought the tomato press for my parents back in the 80s. My mom gave it back years ago. They still make them.

sarah

Veteran

You can also freeze with skins on, and when they thaw, the skins will slip off.

One of the NYT's most popular recipes is also unbelievably simple. We make it all the time to have over pasta, and even freeze it into ice cube trays for the kids to thaw and eat with their grilled cheese sandwiches. I sometimes add a bit of oregano.

Marcella Hazan's Tomato Sauce

2

cups tomatoes, in addition to their juices (for
example, a 28-ounce can of San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes)
5

tablespoons butter
1

onion, peeled and cut in half
Salt

Combine the tomatoes, their juices, the butter and the onion halves in a saucepan. Add a pinch or two of salt.
Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook,
uncovered, for about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally, mashing any large
pieces of tomato with a spoon. Add salt as needed.
Discard the onion before tossing the sauce with pasta. This recipe makes enough sauce for a pound of pasta.
I like to blend it before using as a sauce.

Anonymous

Salsa of course