Freezing Tomatoes

Yesterday (Tiny Tomato Treats) and last October (Saving Green Tomatoes) I shared posts about how I handle unripened tomatoes when their vines have to come out. Wayne and I love the taste of fresh home grown tomatoes in salads including our favourite Chopped Garden Salad. But even with only a few plants, there can be more produce than we can consume all at once. I didn't have enough to bother with canning, so I decided to freeze my excess tomatoes.

Freezing tomatoes is very simple. You can do them whole, sliced or diced. You can do them with the skins on or off. Since I also had some remaining zucchini and green peppers, I decided to freeze my tomatoes diced (cut in half for the cherries) along with pieces of the other two vegetables. That way I could pop a container directly into the soup pot. You can use any tightly sealed container, but I purchased Bernardin freezer canning jars. They are plastic with tight snapping lids. They can also be saved and reused for the next season.

Denise, a blogger friend that writes the Vintage Log Cabin blog, shared a forum with me that is devoted to tomatoes called Tomatoville. You have to register to read and post messages, but it is free and a very busy community. Check it out, and stop by and meet Denise at vintagelogcabin.blogspot.com. -- Margy

Tiny Tomato Treats

In October, I shared how I picked my green Early Girl tomatoes and brought them into the house to ripen (see Saving Green Tomatoes). They were a big success. When it came time to pull out my cherry tomato plants, I tried the same thing. I removed and kept all of the undamaged green cherry tomatoes. What remained was chopped up for the compost pile. Nothing goes to waste.

I placed all of the little tomatoes on cookie sheets and placed them on a cool dark shelf in the downstairs guest room. They have been there for about a month now and are ripening nicely. When the larger tomatoes ripened, I didn't lose any. With these smaller one,s I have to throw away a few that rot or wither every few days.

When the tiny tomatoes start to turn pink I move them to the kitchen window sill to redden. Here they have a great view and a bit of warmth much like they had on the vine. They end up juicy and tasty in salads that bring back memories of long gone summer days. -- Margy

Storing Potatoes

Last week I dug up the last of the potatoes in my upper garden. There were too many to eat right away, so I prepared the excess for storage. I left them in the sun to dry and to allow the skin to firm up. It is best not to wash potatoes before storage. Just brush off any excess dirt and then inspect them for damage. Damaged spuds should be eaten as soon as possible. They do not store well and may damage your good produce.

Always store potatoes away from light and temperatures between 5 and 10 degrees Celsius are best. If they get too cold, the starch will turn to sugar and cause them to be sweet. Paper bags, burlap bags or cardboard boxes are good for potato storage. Do not use a plastic bag. Trapped moisture will accelerate spoilage. Avoid storing potatoes with apples, onions or garlic. They produce a gas that causes potatoes to spoil quickly. If potatoes are exposed to the light they will turn green. Remove any green portions before eating. Potatoes are a member of the Deadly Nightshade family, and the green part is poisonous.

This year I am wrapping my potatoes in newspaper. This keeps them away from the light and separates them from neighboring potatoes. The paper allows the potatoes to "breathe" but also prevents too much moisture from escaping. Properly stored potatoes will remain dormant and will not sprout for about three months after harvesting. That makes for lots of comfort food meals throughout the winter months. -- Margy