I stopped in to my local grocery store the other night, and I came across 7 large packages of tomatoes reduced to 99 cents.  When I see deals like that, I can’t pass them up!  Tomatoes are popular for canning, but there’s a high risk for botulism if they’re not done properly.  Stewed tomatoes are really versatile, and they freeze really well, so that’s how I prepare tomatoes if I’m not making salsa.

Usually if I’m doing stewed tomatoes, or making sauces to freeze, I prefer to use plum tomatoes because they have a meatier flesh, and fewer seeds to deal with.  Since these were so cheap, and readily available, I used them anyway.  They were a mixed bunch of beefsteak, and vine tomatoes.

Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, and drop the tomatoes in carefully. Do this in small batches as you need to work fairly quickly.

I have to work on using the zoom so I’m not sticking my face in the pot to take pictures for you!

When you put the tomatoes into the boiling water, it’ll take only a moment or two for the skins to start to crack.  Remove them right away into a large plastic bowl.  Repeat this in batches until all of your tomatoes are done.

Letting the tomatoes rest in a plastic tub or bowl will further shrivel the skins, making them MUCH easier to peel. You’ll also be able to pour off a lot of excess water. Since you’re working with heat, please make sure your plastic ware is BPA free.

The best part of doing up stewed tomatoes, is you can impart your favourite flavours.  Peel away the skins from your tomatoes, and discard.  Toss the tomatoes without skins into a tall pot.

Dice up a couple of white onions… and add them to the pot.

I used two large onions for a soup pot that held about 8 cups of tomatoes.

Roughly dice about four ribs of celery, and add it to the pot.

Next, we’ll add the seasonings.  Add 1 tbsp of minced garlic, 1 tbsp of basil, 1 tbsp oregano, and 1 tbsp of onion powder.

When making your stewed tomatoes, add flavours that you enjoy. Keep in mind that you can use them in soups, chili recipes etc, so you don’t want to be too heavy-handed!

The last part is to bring the tomatoes to a boil, and turn the heat down and let them simmer for about half an hour or so.  You want the celery and onions to be cooked, but not until they’re mushy.  Tender-crisp is a good point to take the tomatoes off the heat, and allow them to cool before storing in freezer-safe containers, and freezing them for later use.  If you decide to use resealable bags, make sure they’re the heavy-duty freezer type.   I’ve stored mine in plastic containers for up to a year and they were just as good as when first done.

Simmer the mixture until the celery and onions are tender-crisp. Allow to cool COMPLETELY before sealing, as the tomatoes will sour if you seal them while they’re still warm.

If you notice the bubbly froth on the pot… that’s because I let the tomatoes come to too high a boil.  If you turn down the heat as soon as you start to see bubbles, and stir regularly you won’t get that froth on top.  It doesn’t harm anything, just doesn’t look as nice when taking a picture!