17 Garden-Fresh Tomato Recipes That Showcase This Garden Staple (2024)

FAQs

What can I do with too many tomatoes from my garden? ›

Refrigerate any unconsumed fully ripe tomatoes, but allow them to come to room temperature before serving them. (To speed up this process, slice them while still cold—slices will warm up much more quickly than an intact fruit.) One study we've read suggests that refrigerating for no longer than three days is optimal.

Tomatoes may be frozen raw or cooked, whole, sliced, chopped, or puréed. Tomatoes do not need to be blanched before freezing. Frozen tomatoes are best used in cooked foods such as soups, sauces and stews as they become mushy when they're thawed.

The fridge is your friend, not your foe in this scenario. Supermarket tomatoes have already been refrigerated in their journey to you, so a little more chill-out time won't hurt them. And unless you're eating them immediately, ripe, locally grown tomatoes will also last longer in the fridge; eat within a few days.

Water newly planted tomatoes well to make sure soil is moist and ideal for growing. Early in the growing season, watering plants daily in the morning. As temperatures increase, you might need to water tomato plants twice a day. Garden tomatoes typically require 1-2 inches of water a week.

Tomato plants require a good amount of these resources, so if they're planted closely together, they will compete and likely all lose. Low Production – Even if tomato plants growing closely together survive, they may not produce as many tomatoes as they could have if properly spaced.

The standard rule is to keep tomatoes out of the refrigerator. It all comes down to science: Tomatoes contain an enzyme that reacts to cold temperatures, causing the cell membranes to break down and leaving you with a piece of fruit that's mushy and mealy.

Under-ripe tomatoes are best left on the bench to develop further, while over-ripe tomatoes can be saved by popping them in the fridge. Tomato varieties with a higher pulp to flesh ratio, such as cherry tomatoes, also tend to fare better in the fridge than fleshier counterparts like roma tomatoes.

This is because, just like pickles, the flavor and texture declines after you open the bottle or jar and the ketchup is exposed to air. To slow down this process way down, stash it in the fridge. This keeps your ketchup tasting salty, savory, sweet, tangy, and perfectly tomato-y.

Can you freeze whole tomatoes? ›

You can freeze all different types of tomatoes, from petite cherry tomatoes to meaty beefsteaks and pretty heirlooms. But before you freeze them, make sure the tomatoes are fully ripe so that they taste their very best. There are several ways to freeze tomatoes, but the easiest is freezing them whole.

All Tomatoes become mealy in texture and lose their bright fresh flavor notes if refrigerated. Tomatoes start converting sugars to starches as they get cold and they stop making volatile flavor compounds and those already present get oxidized.

Once you've spotted mold on your tomatoes, it's probably time to say goodbye. Even if you only spot a bit of mold on the outside, there could be more mold lurking underneath the surface of your tomato, according to the USDA.

Freezing is a great method of preservation for a variety of tomatoes, including whole tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, tomato juice, tomato paste, and tomato chutneys. When you're ready to use them, pull them out of the freezer and thaw them at room temperature or in a bath of cold water.

A: The best way to store fresh tomatoes so that they last is to pick them at the breaker stage (shown on the left) … store at 50°F (10°C) … and out of direct sunlight. Move them to a place at room temperature a few days before you want to use them.

To store the tomatoes in the refrigerator or freezer, place them in a zip-top bag and squeeze any extra air out. Put them in the refrigerator for up to a month or stick them in the freezer. To store tomatoes in oil, sterilize a mason jar by boiling it for 10 minutes.

Simply blanch the tomatoes in boiling water for a minute, then remove the skin and core. Pack the tomatoes into freezer bags or containers and store them in the freezer. Drying: Drying tomatoes is another option. Cut the tomatoes into thin slices and dry them in a dehydrator or oven until they are crispy.