Freezing Red and Yellow Tomatoes Fast - With or Without the Skins

A ton of red and yellow tomatoes are sitting on your counters and in buckets on your floor. Maybe you don't have a lot of time or maybe you don't feel quite up to canning tomatoes. Can you freeze tomatoes? Yes. Can you freeze yellow tomatoes? Yes. Can you freeze red and yellow tomatoes together? Yes. Here are a couple of the fastest, easiest ways I know of to freeze red and yellow tomatoes.

Freezing red and yellow tomatoes without skins. Whole, halved, quartered, chunks.

I'm going to start out with the way I like to freeze red and yellow tomatoes best. I don't like skin on my tomatoes so here are 2 ways to get it off. You can heat water and "dunk" tomatoes in it until the skins loosen (just a minute or two). Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove tomatoes and let cool so you can handle them without getting burned. The skins should slip right off in your hand. Just cut them the size you want (even leaving them whole) and drain off excess water/juice and put them in freezer bags.

The second way is simply to use your paring knife and gently peel the skin off. I do it this way. While washing the tomato under running water I cut the stem end out, peel the skin off and cut out any bad spots. Then I halve, quarter or chunk them into a colander sitting in a bowl or cake pan. I let the water/juice drain off of them and put them in freezer bags with the date and a label.

Freezing red and yellow tomatoes whole with skin.

Wash the tomatoes off under running water instead of dumping them into a sink of water. (It's been reported that bacteria can enter where the stem was by sitting in the sink of water too long.) Cut out the end where the stem was and any bad spots that you see. Drain or wipe excess water off of them and throw them into a freezer bag.

I don't like this way as well. Why? I want to know what that tomato looks and smells like on the inside. Once in a while a tomato will look good until you cut into it. That's just my take though.

Freezing red and yellow tomatoes halved, quartered and chunked with skins on.

Follow the instructions above on washing, stemming and cutting out bad spots. I use a colander (sitting in a bowl or cake pan) and either half, quarter or chunk tomatoes into it. I let try to let the excess water/juice drain off and then simply bag the pieces in freezer bags. Date and label.

I have done this when I have been super busy or not physically able to do it any other way. I like this better than the whole ones with skins. I don't really like leaving the skins on because they always come off of the tomato piece when cooked.

If you are new to freezing red and yellow tomatoes, experiment! Try freezing some whole, in pieces, with skins and without. See what you like the best when you use them this winter.

TIPS:

Wash red and yellow tomatoes well. Especially if you are going to freeze them with skins on.

Use firm ripe tomatoes. Stay away from overly ripe ones.

Call your extension office for information. This is MY way. Not necessarily the right way for you.

Be sure to date freezer bags.

When freezing several bags at once, try to spread them out and don't stack them to freeze. It works the freezer too hard and takes a long time to freeze the middle bags when they are stacked.