Some Ways to Preserve Tomatoes

Additive-free Batch Makes

Aug 18, 2009 Melody Mundawarara

Preserve an abundant harvest with these tomato recipes. Because you are making them you can control what goes into the food.

When there is an abundance of tomatoes, it is a good idea to turn some of them into preserves that can be enjoyed later. It is also a great way to save money. There is a wide variety of recipes to choose from, a few are given here.

Tomato Paste

Ingredients:

• 2 kg well ripened tomatoes
• 2 onions, minced
• 7 ml salt

Method:

1. Clean the tomatoes and cut into rough pieces. Put into a saucepan, add onions and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes. Rub pulp through sieve with wooden spoon - discard seeds and skin remaining in the sieve.
2. Return paste to saucepan, add salt and sugar. Simmer over low heat, uncovered, stirring regularly until paste is quite firm.
3. Cool and pour into ice trays. Freeze. Use later in your cooking by just popping in a cube or two as required.
4. Alternatively, pour into sterilized jars while still hot and seal.

Homemade Chilli Sauce

Makes 1,5 - 2l

Ingredients:

• 3,5 kg ripe tomatoes, peeled and cored
• 225 g green green peppers
• 225 g red peppers
• 1 large onion
• 12,5 ml salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 ml whole cloves
• 3 ml whole allspice
• 5 ml mustard seed
• 100 g sugar
• 330 ml vinegar

Method:

1. Chop all vegetables. Add salt, and spices that have been tied in a piece of muslin. Simmer until mixture begins to thicken, stirring occasionally.
2. Add vinegar and sugar, cook, stirring often, until mixture is a thick sauce. Remove spice bag.
3. Pack into hot sterile jars and seal.

Fruity Chilli Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 kg well ripened tomatoes
• 2 large green apples, cored
• 3 onions, peeled and quartered
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 150 ml white vinegar
• 150 ml water
• 25 ml salt
• 5 ml mustard powder
• 3 ml ground ginger
• 2 ml ground cloves
• 3 ml ground allspice
• 100 ml sugar
• chilli powder to taste

Method:

1. Plunge tomatoes into boiling water for about two minutes. Drain, immediately plunge into cold water. Remove skins and cut roughly.
2. Mince tomatoes together with apples, onions and garlic or place in a food processor until ground.
3. Put into a saucepan, pour over vinegar and water. Mix, simmer uncovered until pulp thickens. Stir occasionally.
4. Spoon into sterilized jars, cover and store in a cold place.

Raw Tomato Relish

Ingredients:

• 4 kg ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 3 medium onions, chopped
• 1 small red hot pepper, chopped
• 6 cups brown sugar
• 1/3 cup salt
• 2 cups vinegar

Method:

1. Combine the chopped vegetables in a big bowl. Sprinkle with the salt and stir. Let the mixture stand for 2 hours, then tie up in a piece of muslin cloth. Hang up and let it drain overnight or until the mixture is entirely dry. Place the bowl underneath to catch the drippings.
2. After the draining, prepare a boiling bath by filling a heavy saucepan with hot water so that it comes two thirds of the way up the jars you will be using. Boiling water is not used at this stage because it may crack or damage the jars coming from room temperature.
3. Mix the sugar, vinegar and spices in a pot and heat them until dissolved, stirring occasionally. Pour this liquid over the drained vegetables, stir.
4. Ladle the relish into hot sterilized jars. Cover and add boiling water so that it flows freely 3 cm above the tops of the jars. Heat in the boiling bath for 15 minutes. Alternatively, process in a pressure canner for 10 minutes.

The copyright of the article Some Ways to Preserve Tomatoes in Recipes is owned by Melody Mundawarara. Permission to republish Some Ways to Preserve Tomatoes in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Sweet Chilli Sauce