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Hello Kraft Community, we are very excited to share some great news with you. As loyal Kraft Community members we have heard your desire to do more fun things in the community and we are happy to announce in January 2010 we will be making some changes so you can connect and share food ideas in more ways than ever!
We want to let you know we will not be transferring the existing discussions to the new enhanced message boards so if there are discussions that you would like to save please make sure to either print them or copy and paste into a document that you can save to your personal files.
We will remind you again before the transition occurs but wanted to let you in on the exciting news!!
If you have any questions on how to do this please contact Customer Care at Contact Us
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Posts:
34
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Posted:
Aug 26, 2009 10:05 AM
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The last 2 seasons ripe tomatoes have alot of green at the top around the stem end surrounding the core. I have found that if even a small amount of that green is not removed completely, waterbath canning will not preserve the tomatoes. They must be pressure canned. Also, some of the newer varieties have a lower acid content making waterbath risky, even for salsa. For this reason I have begun to freeze tomatoes. Any fruit or vegetable contains an enzyme that requires at least 142 degrees F (called blanching) to cease deterioration of the product. I heat water in a large pot, place the tomatoes into the water long enough to be able to slip the skins, then core, cut into desired size, place into freezer bags, press out the air and lay single layer onto a cookie sheet and freeze. The water for slipping the skins will heat the tomatoes through enough to prevent deterioration and after cutting up into a large bowl, they cool enough to ladle into the freezer bags and are ready to freeze. I use quart bags, some with a little more or a little less, date with the year and they are ready for soup, stewed tomatoes, tomatoes and okra, blending for spaghetti sauce or whatever you want to make, including a dish of salsa. Either thaw in the bag or tear off the bag and drop into your pot of soup.
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Posts:
807
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Posted:
Aug 22, 2009 9:14 PM
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Here is the recipe I usually use for Fried Green Tomatoes:
Fried Green Tomatoes
3-4 green tomatoes, sliced to about ¼ inch
1 ½ cups flour
½ cup corn meal
½ tsp salt & pepper
milk
vegetable oil for frying
Mix together flour, cornmeal, salt & pepper. Add enough milk to create a thick batter or dip the tomato slices in milk then in the flour mixture. [It depends on how thick you like the batter on the tomato. I usually like the batter more breading than batter.]. Pour up to 2 inches of oil into a large skillet. Heat the oil until a drop of the batter mixture fries when you drop it in. Batter each tomato slice, and wipe off excess. Carefully place in hot oil, browning on both sides. You might have to turn them if the oil isn't very deep. Cool in a colander or on a wire rack to keep tomatoes from getting soggy. Salt to taste.
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Moderator_Deanne
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1,706
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Posted:
Aug 22, 2009 2:13 PM
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I haven't tried freezing them, I always can them.
Anyone have a good fried green tomato recipe?
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Posts:
1
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Posted:
Aug 22, 2009 10:41 AM
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I freeze tomatoes every year. I blanch them abd remove the core and skins,and toss them in a freezer bag. Before I put them in the freezer, I squish them so they can go into whatever I want them too. Also, I take them out of the bag while still frozen--a lot less messy that way. They can go in whatever frozen. If you thaw just remember to use the juices--really bad if you don't.
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Moderator_Jane
Posts:
1,656
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Posted:
Aug 21, 2009 7:39 AM
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> I understand that it is best not to refrigerate
> tomatoes, but what if I don't use the whoe tomato?
> What's the best way to store part of a tomato?
The flavor is best if a tomato is not refrigerated, but if I have a part of a tomato left, I will with wrap in plastic wrap or put in a container in the fridge.
Oops, Anna, my bad. 
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Posts:
1
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Posted:
Aug 21, 2009 7:19 AM
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I understand that it is best not to refrigerate tomatoes, but what if I don't use the whoe tomato? What's the best way to store part of a tomato?
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Posts:
807
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Posted:
Aug 17, 2009 1:00 PM
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I'd love to take credit for the freezing tomato tips, but it was annaskf, not me.  I don't freeze tomatoes; I prefer canned, but my brother in law swears by freezing them on a cookie sheet and then putting them into a zipper bag so he can take them out as needed. Some of them he blanches so he can peel them but most of them are just washed and frozen. It works really well for him.
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Moderator_Jane
Posts:
1,656
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Posted:
Aug 17, 2009 11:30 AM
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> Thanks for the freezing tomatoes tips....for some
> reason, I really never thought about doing this.
> Maybe because I really don't care for tomatoes but my
> younger dd loves them and I do cook more often with
> tomatoes than before.
>
> Thanks again and next time I come across a great deal
> on tomatoes I will freeze some.
This is where a farmers market comes in handy. Right now growers have tons of certain vegetables and they price them very reasonably. It's a bit of a pain to spend my days off cooking all day, but in the long run it gives me back dividends.
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Posts:
145
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Posted:
Aug 17, 2009 11:16 AM
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Thanks for the freezing tomatoes tips....for some reason, I really never thought about doing this. Maybe because I really don't care for tomatoes but my younger dd loves them and I do cook more often with tomatoes than before.
Thanks again and next time I come across a great deal on tomatoes I will freeze some.
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Moderator_Jane
Posts:
1,656
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Posted:
Aug 17, 2009 11:10 AM
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> Eemma, Thanks, I had forgotten that, I have also
> wraped them in newspaper, at the end of the season,
> when they were green, and that helps them ripen.
> Cinderbella I have frozen tomaotes. Heres how I do
> do it: remove the core, cut into pieces and put in a
> freezer bag. I didn't peel them because I used them
> in soups and stews, I put them in the soup frozen
> and as they cooked, picked the peels off. I've never
> frozen them whole. They will be mushy when defrosted,
> if you just defrost them. Lots of luck, annaks
Eemma, that's exactly how I freeze my tomatoes. To make them easier to handle frozen, I treat them like fruit and freeze them first on cookie sheets then put them in baggies. I also do extra peppers this way, then I can just get a handful of each to add to soups and stews.
If you were going to freeze whole tomatoes I would still core and seed them and probably remove the peel. I have known people who just cut the tomatoes into eighths and throw them into bags without coring or peeling. It works for them, but I like them cored.
Canned tomatoes are really easy to do as well, but my stove is now officially on the fritz and I'm in a canning hiatus until the new cooktop arrives in a couple of weeks.
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Posts:
1,106
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Posted:
Aug 16, 2009 8:51 PM
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Eemma, Thanks, I had forgotten that, I have also wraped them in newspaper, at the end of the season, when they were green, and that helps them ripen. Cinderbella I have frozen tomaotes. Heres how I do it: remove the core, cut into pieces and put in a freezer bag. I didn't peel them because I used them in soups and stews, I put them in the soup frozen and as they cooked, picked the peels off. I've never frozen them whole. They will be mushy when defrosted, if you just defrost them. Lots of luck, annaks
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Posts:
145
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Posted:
Aug 16, 2009 8:06 PM
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What is the best way to freeze tomatoes? I suppose the easiest way is to crush them and then freeze? Can you freeze whole tomatoes?
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Posts:
1
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Posted:
Aug 16, 2009 4:46 PM
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Even store bought tomatoes out of season can be improved with a day or two in a window with a lot of exposure to the sun. The ripening process will continue and the flavor is so much better.
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Moderator_Deanne
Posts:
1,706
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Posted:
Aug 12, 2009 8:46 PM
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> My mother always put tomatoes into a paper bag on the
> shelf to slow down how fast they ripened. I don't
> know if it actually worked but she believed in it.
>
My mom did the same, must be an old New England thing.
Welcome to the community wisteria08, and thanks for sharing what you found out!
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