How to Preserve and Save Summer Tomatoes

Too many tomatoes to use all at once? Save them for later! Two simple methods for preserving the tomato harvest are slow-roasting and freezing. Slow-roasting is best done with Roma tomatoes. Since Romas have a higher pectin and lower moisture content than globe tomato varieties, they’ll hold up better. Once roasted, the possibilities are endless. Use these tomatoes with their concentrated sweet-tart flavor to top pizzas, sandwiches, and in pasta, risotto, and appetizers.

If you’d rather freeze your tomatoes, check out the step-by-step instructions below. When freezing tomatoes, any variety will work. Just be sure to freeze them in individual portions so you can pull out just the amount you need.

How to Slow-Roast Tomatoes

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Cover a baking sheet with foil and set a wire rack inside.
2. Core and halve tomatoes, slicing open any seed pockets that are not exposed.
3. Toss tomatoes with olive oil, salt, and black pepper, then place, cut side down, on prepared rack.
4. Roast tomatoes until semi-dry, dark, and shriveled, 3–4 hours. Cool and remove skins from tomatoes.
5. Store tomatoes in the fridge for up to 1 week, or freeze them in freezer bags or airtight containers.

To help the tomatoes dry, slice open any of the seed pockets that weren’t exposed when halving them.

Placing the tomatoes on the rack cut side down will allow excessliquid to drain from them.

How to Freeze Tomatoes

Store whole, chopped, or puréed tomatoes in freezer bags or airtight containers in the freezer for up to 1 year. Frozen tomatoes can be used in any number of ways, such as in salsas, sauces, stews, or even bloody Mary’s. Once frozen, tomatoes are no longer suited for fresh uses

So the skins are easy to remove once blanched, cut a shallow “×” in the bottom of each tomato

Immediately transfer tomatoes to an ice water bath after blanching so they stop cooking.

Once the tomatoes have cooled, easily remove the skins, then cut out the stem end and freeze.