Canning not only method to preserve tomatoes

Question: I have sooooo many tomatoes this year. I don’t know how to can them or have any of that equipment. Can you give me some ideas on how I might process and store some of them for future use besides canning?

Answer: Drying, roasting and freezing are good options for preserving tomatoes.

Here is a safe method for drying tomatoes from the Oregon State University Extension Master Food Preservers.

Select ripe tomatoes of good color. Paste or plum varieties such as Roma, Oroma or Saucy are the meatiest, but all types can be roasted.

Remove the skins, if you wish, by dipping the tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds. Chill immediately in cold water, then peel. I skip this step.

Cut the tomatoes into 1/4 to 1/3-inch slices. Place them on food dehydrator trays. For seasoned dried tomatoes, sprinkle fresh tomato slices with herbs and/or garlic powder.

Dry them in an electric food dryer until leathery and crisp. Store them in a cool, dry and dark place in plastic or glass containers. I store mine in the freezer in Ziplock bags; then they last for years.

If your tomatoes darken or turn black, an enzymatic reaction has taken place. To prevent the darkening in the future, heat the tomato slices by steaming, blanching or heating in a microwave oven until heated throughout, but not cooked.

When you want to use the dried tomatoes, soak them in hot water until softened. Then, use them as you would in recipes that call for sun-dried tomatoes. They are great on pizza, in pasta sauce and in creamy sauces and dips.

To oven roast them, you can blanch and skin them as above. Or leave the skins on as I do. I slice up or merely halve really ripe tomatoes. Then I put them on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. I brush olive oil on top of each slice. Sometimes I sprinkle herbs or pepper on top of the tomatoes as well. Then I oven roast them at about 250 degrees for about an hour and a half (check earlier, depends on your oven), until they get a bit golden and caramelized. Then I freeze them in containers or Ziplock plastic bags. These are great in the winter on pizza, in soups, ground up into tomato paste or in a nice pesto.

Try simmering some of your surplus tomatoes in a kettle, then use an immersion blender to turn them into sauce, skins and all. Or take the skins off, add garlic, basil and onions and cook until thick to make your own pasta sauce. How about a red enchilada sauce? Use mild chili powder, onion, garlic and cilantro. Freeze your homemade sauce in quart yogurt containers for future use.

Canning (actually preserving in sterile, heat safe, glass jars with vacuum seal lids) is easy, once you get the equipment and learn how. The nice thing about canning is that properly preserved jars of tomato sauce will least without refrigeration for years. There’s lots of good information online from the Oregon State University Extension Service to help you learn how to do this safely. A good place to start is: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/fch/food-preservation.