It’s almost tomato time! As I look at my raised garden bed, I am patiently waiting on my tomato plants to ripen. The garden doesn’t always allow you to choose your harvesting time. When the produce is ready, you had better have a plan so your precious tomatoes don’t go to waste. Consider preserving your tomatoes so you can enjoy them all year long. Canning, freezing or dehydrating are the three methods to preserving.
You may can most any type of tomato, with the exception of overripe tomatoes or tomatoes on dead or frost-killed vines, which are too low in acid to safely can. Can tomato juice, tomato sauce, tomato paste, spaghetti sauce, salsa, ketchup and barbecue sauce, or simply can whole or halved tomatoes to use in various recipes. The canning process involves using tested recipes and either a boiling water bath canner or a pressure canner. Since tomatoes are on the borderline of being low acid, you must add acid in the form of bottled lemon juice, citric acid or vinegar to keep dangerous bacteria and toxins from growing. Visit the National Center for Home Food Preservation website for guidelines.
Freezing and dehydrating are also great ways to preserve your tomatoes. You can prepare any type of tomato product, including your favorite homemade recipe, and safely freeze it. I love to roast our cherry tomatoes with a little bit of olive oil in the oven at 450°F for 20-25 minutes until they’ve blistered and split. Then I pack them into freezer bags and freeze. Paste or meaty tomatoes dry very well in the dehydrator, as their tomato flavor becomes concentrated. Add dried tomatoes directly to soups, stews or sauces or use in a savory trail mix, pasta dish or other favorite recipe.
Dried Tomato Pesto
1 cup fresh basil
½ cup dehydrated tomatoes
½ cup almonds
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons water
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup olive oil + ¼ cup more
Place basil and tomatoes in a food processor and pulse a few times until coarsely chopped. Add remaining ingredients, including ¼ cup olive oil and process into a paste. Slowly add up to ¼ cup more olive oil, if desired. Spread on grilled chicken, pork or steak, on crusty bread or into cooked pasta.
Yield: about 1 cup, or 8 (⅛ cup) servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving): 190 calories, 19 grams fat, 120 milligrams sodium, 4 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber, 3 grams protein
Smith is nutrition and wellness educator for the University of Illinois Extension, McLean County. Contact her at 309-663-8306.
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August 12, 2020 at 04:30PM
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Smith: Enjoy your tomatoes all year long - Bloomington Pantagraph
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