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Wash. Drain. Pat dry.

Trim ends. Slice no thicker than ¼ inch.

Pack in gallon-size freezer bags. Press out air. Seal. Freeze.

Note: Will retain good quality for 4 to 6 months.

seal bags

cooking tip For best flavor and texture, cook frozen squash by stir-frying with pork drip pings or butter and seasonings (garlic is great), for 2 minutes, or steam for 4 minutes.

Freezing Squash in Boilable Bags

Excellent finished product

Wash squash. Drain. Pat dry. Trim ends. Slice in ¼-inch slices. Pack in boilable bags. Add butter and seasonings, if desired. Press out air. Seal bags.

Blanch bags, four at a time, in boiling water for 5 minutes.

Cool bags in ice water. Pat bags dry. Freeze.

TOMATOES

PICK TOMATOES WHEN THEY ARE FULLY RIPE and slightly soft to the touch. To be safely canned, tomatoes must be acidified with the addition of citric acid (¼ teaspoon per pint; ½ teaspoon per quart) or lemon juice (1 table spoon per pint; 2 tablespoons per quart). Although you will find it faster to freeze tomatoes, canning produces a far superior end product.

Drying is a no-fuss way to preserve tomatoes and produces an excel lent product, on par with expensive Italian sun-dried tomatoes.

tip At the end of the harvest season, if you would like to hasten the ripening of tomatoes, place them in a single layer in large paper bags, tied loosely. The ethylene gases they re lease will help them to ripen rapidly and evenly.

Storing in a Root Cellar

Best method

Tomatoes that are good for eating fresh, although not as tasty as summer tomatoes, can be kept fairly well into the early winter if they are properly stored. Pick all large tomatoes just before a hard frost is predicted. Separate the green ones from those more advanced in color. Place the sorted tomatoes in a single layer in shallow boxes or on trays in a root cellar or cool garage. Cover with two to three layers of newspaper. Check frequently, and remove and eat tomatoes as they ripen. Remove any tomatoes that show signs of spoilage immediately. Green tomatoes stored this way will ripen in 4 to 6 weeks.

cover with newspaper

Freezing Whole, Unpeeled Tomatoes

Quickest freezer method

Wash and core tomatoes. Set on cookie sheets and freeze.

When tomatoes are frozen, pack in bags.

cooking tips To use whole, unpeeled, frozen tomatoes, run them under tepid water for a few seconds to soften them slightly. Then peel and finish defrosting in a bowl. These tomatoes are best used in sauces, soups, and casseroles.

To use whole frozen tomatoes in salads, run them under tepid water for a few seconds, peel, and set the tomatoes in a bowl for 30 minutes to soften slightly. Chop and serve in a bowl separate from the salad, to be added to the salad when served. After the tomatoes have been out of the freezer for an hour, they are too soft to use in salads.

Freezing Whole, Peeled Tomatoes

Wash tomatoes. Heat water in a large kettle to boiling. Refill the sink with cold water. Drop tomatoes into boiling water a few at a time. Scald for 30 seconds. Remove to cold water. Lift from the water, peel, and core.

Pack in rigid containers. Leave 1-inch headspace. Freeze.

tips Always defrost tomatoes packaged in plastic bags in a bowl. Use the juice that separates out as well as the pulp, in order to keep all the nutrients.

If you don’t have a large hand-cranked strainer, you can make purées and juices with a blender or food mill, but you must cook the tomatoes to soften them before straining.

Freezing Strained Purée or Juice

Best freezer product

Wash, core, and quarter tomatoes.

Purée through a hand-cranked strainer.

Pack in rigid containers. Leave 1-inch headspace. Freeze.

Canning Tomato Purée

Best finished product

Wash, core, and quarter to matoes.

Purée in a hand-cranked strainer.

Heat purée to boiling. Simmer for 5 minutes.

While the purée is heating, preheat the water in the boiling-water-bath canner and jars. Place the jar lids and screw bands in water according to manufacturer’s directions.