In warm and sunny summers, everything ripens a little earlier, and the tomato harvest is abundant. However, during prolonged droughts, many tomato bushes look dried out and wilted by the end of summer. In wet summers, plants and fruits can be attacked by diseases, such as gray rot or tomato blight, also known as late blight. In such cases, the harvest is at risk.
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Then it is worth picking tasty, also still green fruits earlier. To keep tomatoes longer and preserve the summer flavor for autumn and winter, there are several methods.
Preserving tomatoes in jars
Make a cross cut on the tomatoes and pour boiling water over them. After about a minute, the skin will be easy to peel off.
For the brine, mix cold water with salt: 15 g of salt per 1 liter of water.
Place the tomatoes into heated jars and fill them to the brim with the prepared brine. Herbs will add extra flavor. Seal the jars tightly with lids, place them in a pot with water, and heat for about half an hour.
Tomato puree, juice, or ketchup
Cut the tomatoes into small pieces, remove the stem area. Put them into a pot – with or without spices. Onions, salt, and garlic are suitable. Bring to a boil.
Then strain the mixture through a special vegetable mill or sieve to remove the skins. The prepared puree can be frozen and later used as tomato sauce.
To prepare juice or ketchup, strain the mixture through a sieve, heat the juice to at least 85 °C, and season to taste with sugar, salt, and spices.
Recipe:
Preserved tomato sauce. This simple basic recipe is enough for 5 jars or bottles of 500 ml each. It is very convenient when time is short and you want to eat quickly – besides, this sauce is much tastier than store-bought.
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Ingredients
2 kg tomatoes
4 onions
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp tomato paste
Salt
Sugar
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried oregano
Preparation
1. To peel the tomatoes, first make a light cut in their skin with a sharp knife. Pour boiling water over the tomatoes, then rinse with cold water. Peel off the skin and cut the tomatoes into small cubes.
2. Peel and dice the onions and garlic. Sauté them briefly in heated oil until softened. Add the tomato paste and sauté briefly together.
3. Then add the chopped tomatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Season the sauce with salt, sugar, dried basil, and oregano.
4. Pour the prepared tomato sauce into clean jars or bottles rinsed with hot water and seal tightly.
5. Place the jars in a deep oven tray so they do not touch each other. Pour in 2–3 cm of water. Preserve in an oven heated to 100 °C for about 30 minutes. The oven mode should be normal – a fan or gas oven is not suitable for this method. Then remove the jars and let them cool.
Drying tomatoes in the oven or dehydrator
Cut the tomatoes into quarters, salt them, and place on a baking tray. Dry in the oven with the door slightly open at 60 °C for up to 10 hours.
It is easier and more economical to do this in a food dehydrator.
Dried tomatoes are best stored in a dark, cool, and tightly sealed place, such as a preserving jar. Another option is to vacuum pack the tomatoes.
In cooler and less sunny summers, tomatoes are picked in autumn before the first frosts. Often the fruits do not fully ripen outdoors, but green tomatoes can ripen at home.
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