Preserve your harvest by making homemade tomato paste.
Tomato plants can easily provide you with many more tomatoes than you can eat. In order to put the tomatoes to good use instead of wasting them, you have many options including canning and freezing them, making tomato sauce and your own homemade tomato paste. Tomato paste is a pantry staple that is versatile and can be used in a variety of recipes.
Instructions
1. Fill one pot with water and heat to a rolling boil on the stove. Arrange nearby a trash can, bowl of ice water and an empty pot.
2. Plunge each tomato into the boiling water for about 20 seconds, then immediately drop it into the ice water. This will cause the peel to crack and help it slide right off. The tomato will not be hot after the ice water bath, so pick it up and remove the peeling. Place the peels in the trash can. Use the knife to core the tomato and remove the seeds, then place the tomato in the empty pot. Repeat this process until the pot is full of peeled and cored tomatoes.
3. Sprinkle the tomatoes with 3 to 4 tsp. of salt and cover. Place on a burner to simmer for about two hours. You will have to stir often during this time as tomatoes tend to stick, scorch and burn.
4. After two hours, dump the tomatoes into a strainer to allow the juices to drain off. Place the tomatoes back into the pot and use a hand-held potato masher to mash the large pieces of soft-cooked tomato. Keep the stove on simmer and allow the tomatoes to cook and thicken uncovered for two more hours. Check the tomatoes regularly and use your masher to stir them and break down the large pieces.
5. Turn off the stove and let the tomato paste cool before dividing it into freezer bags. You can use individual zip-top sandwich bags to freeze portions that you will use to cook with.
Tags: tomato paste, homemade tomato paste, large pieces, paste Tomato, tomato paste Tomato
