Freezing tomatoes

As the local tomatoes come into season here in New England, I'm known for buying more tomatoes than I can use before they go bad. On the recommendation of a girlfriend, I started dicing them and freezing them for later use in dishes such as black bean sloppy joe or eggplant, meat and tomato with spices. I will note I've only done this with “regular” tomatoes or the round red tomatoes with a relatively sturdy skin. 

To freeze tomatoes, you’ll need: 

Sandwich size ziploc storage bags,--I recommend one bag per medium/large tomato 

Quart or Gallon size freezer safe ziploc storage bags,--one quart size bag will hold 3 - 4 diced tomatoes

Knife 

Cutting board 

Wash and dry tomatoes. 

Dice tomatoes and place in ziploc sandwich bag. One bag per tomato recommended. Repeat as many times as needed. 

When all tomatoes have been diced and bagged, seal sandwich bags. 

Put sandwich bags into freezer safe quart or gallon size ziploc bag. You should be able to fit 3 - 4 bags of tomatoes into one quart size bag. Seal freezer safe bag and put in freezer. 

The tomatoes will keep for about 4 – 6 months and can be used in most recipes which call for cooking diced tomatoes such as black bean sloppy joe and eggplant, meat and tomato with spices. Keep in mind, the longer the tomatoes are in the freezer they more likely they are to lose flavor. 

When ready to use, remove the number of tomatoes/bags from the freezer. Let thaw on the kitchen countertop for 3 - 15 minutes or until you can break up diced tomatoes with hands while in bag on countertop. Open bag and add tomatoes to recipe.

Diced tomatoes, ready for the freezer