Peeling and Seeding Tomatoes for Fresh Juice and Sauce
How did your tomatoes do this season? I have such an abundance of tomatoes at my Bedford, New York farm.
Every summer, I save lots of tomatoes to make homemade juice and sauce. Not only are they delicious and nutritious, but they can be stored in containers in the freezer for any time the craving hits - it's another great way to preserve the season’s bounty. Last week, my housekeeper, Sanu, gathered all the newly-picked tomatoes, removed the skins, separated the flesh and seeds, extracted the fresh, tasty juice, and then cooked down the remaining tomato pieces for the sauce. It was a multi-step process, but well worth the effort for all the wonderful dishes and refreshing drinks we’ll enjoy the rest of the year.
Here are some photos.
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- This is just one of several large tomato harvests from my garden. We filled the back of my Polaris ATV with trays and trays of fresh tomatoes. This year, we had more than 140 tomato plants.
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- Once they’re picked, the tomatoes are placed on my kitchen counter – I love seeing them all when I get home at the end of the day. Many of the tomatoes are eaten fresh and used for sandwiches and salads – see my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48. Another large batch is saved for making delicious juices and sauces.
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- The first step is to score each tomato. Sanu makes a shallow “x” on each one.
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- Sanu works in batches separated by color.
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- The next step is to place the scored tomatoes into a pot of boiling water – just long enough for the skins to soften and loosen.
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- You can fill the pot to the top – they’ll only be in there for a couple of minutes.
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- Once they are soft, and the skins start to separate, using a slotted spoon, or spoon colander, remove the tomatoes from the boiling water. Here is Sanu transferring the tomatoes into a large ice bath.
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- The tomatoes cool in the ice as Sanu removes the rest of the batch from the pot. I love these giant stainless steel bowls – they are perfect for this process. Be sure to check out my collection of stainless steel bowls exclusively at Macy’s. shorturl.at/blVX3
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- Next, they’re removed from the ice-water. These tomatoes are now ready to be peeled and seeded – see the skins? They are already separating.
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- Here’s a view from the top – the skins are practically falling off.
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- Sanu takes each tomato and hand peels the skins – look how easy this is to do – boiling them really helps.
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- At this time, Sanu also removes the leftover parts of the stem at the top of each tomato.
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- Here is one that is completely peeled and hulled.
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- The process takes a bit of time, but Sanu works efficiently. She peels these tomatoes while another batch is on the stove.
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- Once the tomatoes are peeled and hulled, they’re dropped into another big, stainless steel bowl.
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- Here’s a big bowl of yellow tomatoes – they look so pretty.
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- Next, the tomatoes are cut in half to expose all the seeds.
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- And then Sanu removes all the seeds inside.
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- Once a batch is completed, all the juicy flesh is drained to get the wonderful tomato juice.
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- Look at all the juice that is saved from the tomatoes. The tomato juice made from fresh, raw tomatoes is a great source of lycopene, which is considered to have cancer-preventing and reducing properties.
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- Sanu pours the juice into quart-sized plastic containers – no seeds – just pure, delicious tomato juice! I can’t wait to enjoy a glass of refreshing, organic juice – straight from my garden.
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- And here is all the beautifully peeled and seeded outer parts of the tomatoes. The outer parts are saved and placed into a pot to be cooked down to make the sauce – nothing is wasted.
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- Here’s a batch of red tomatoes on the stove. Sanu adds just a bit of salt and pepper to taste.
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- The tomatoes are left to simmer for about an hour, uncovered. And don’t forget to stir it occasionally. So easy! I love the chunky pieces of tomato – this sauce is delicious with any pasta.
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- More quart-sized containers are prepared on the counter. These are great for freezing almost anything, and can be ordered in bulk, online. They’re also very useful when sharing your homemade sauce with family and friends. Once the sauce is cool, carefully spoon into the container.
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- Don’t overfill – you can always use another container.
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- Here, I did have a little leftover for a smaller, pint-sized container. Sanu labeled the tops with the date before placing them in the freezer. Now I’ll have delicious homemade sauces through the winter season.
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