How to Can and Freeze Tomatoes When You Have No Time

Every May, I emerge from winter ready to conquer the world and plant an enormous garden, which usually includes many, many tomato plants. Every September, I end up silently cursing my optimism.

I love canning and freezing tomatoes, but tomato season in my Zone 3 Saskatchewan garden always coincides with the busy back-to-school season in September, which means I’m short on time!

This year, I’ve devised a better system for canning and freezing tomatoes while maintaining my sanity. I’ve figured out how to make the pasta sauce and other canned goods my family loves without marathon canning sessions. Here’s how!

Sort Tomatoes by Ripeness

For those of you who live in warmer climates where all your tomatoes are vine-ripened, you can skip this tip. Those of us in Saskatchewan and other USDA Zone 2 or 3 areas have to pick most of our tomatoes green and ripen them indoors.

Set out four (or more!) boxes and divide your tomatoes by colour and ripeness: green, yellow, orange, and red. This way, you can grab the ripest box and save precious time that you could be canning. You also won’t miss any rotten tomatoes, meaning fewer wasted resources! 

Check your tomatoes every day or two and transfer any outliers to the correct box.

Related: Canning Guide for Beginners & Must Have Canning Supplies

Cut and Prep Tomatoes Faster

I cut my tomatoes in large chunks and squeeze out the seeds. You will not get every single seed out, so if you can’t stand any seeds in your tomato sauce, this is not the method for you. For Roma tomatoes, I cut off the top, make a small slit, squeeze out the seeds, and put them into my slow cooker whole. Which brings me to my next point…

Use a Slow Cooker or instant pot for Cooking Tomatoes Fast

I don’t know about you, but I don’t have time to sit around a stove for 3 hours, ensuring my sauce doesn’t burn. I also don’t have time to blanch and peel them. I’m happy with the odd bit of tomato skin in my sauce.

If I’m using the slow cooker, I cut up my tomatoes about 6 hours before I know I’ll have time to deal with them again. Throw in other vegetables you want in your sauce such as onions, garlic, zucchini, carrots or squash and walk away.

Somewhere around hour 4-5 I come back and puree the sauce with a stick blender. This ensures that my super picky small child will actually eat the sauce I make.

If you need everything done in an hour or two, cook your sauce in an Instant Pot. Set your Instant Pot to the correct settings, blend when everything is cooked, and either freeze or can your sauce, whatever time allows.

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Enjoy your tomatoes in Tomato Bacon Quiche or Red Relish!

Roast Tomatoes in the Oven

If a slow cooker isn’t your style, you can cut up all your veggies and roast them in the oven. Roasting adds an extra sweet caramelized flavour that I’m a huge fan of.

Put all veggies in a large roasting pan and cook at 400 degrees for at least an hour or until some of the tops turn a bit black. Let cool, add spices, puree, and either can or freeze in containers.

Related: My Favourite Roasted Tomato Sauce

Can or Freeze and Done

We are short on freezer space here, so I try to can as many jars as I can. However, I don’t always have the time or energy, so I put my sauce in smaller containers in the freezer and call it a day. If you’re short on space, put your sauce in good-quality freezer bags and freeze them flat for easier storage.

Zero Time? Chop and Freeze Your Tomatoes to Can Later

Unfortunately, tomato season coincides with back-to-school season, which in our house is a recipe for beautiful tomatoes going to waste. If you find yourself with almost no time to deal with tomatoes, chop them into quarters or eights and freeze them in plastic bags. It’s not ideal, but you can always thaw frozen tomatoes and deal with them later!

While I haven’t tried this personally, I’ve heard that if you freeze tomatoes whole, the skins easily peel off when you thaw them.

How do you process your tomatoes? Any tips or tricks to add? Let me know in the comments what your favourite method is!

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NEED MORE HELP IN THE GARDEN?

Green thumbs aren’t just given out at birth. They’re a combination of learning about gardening and trial and error. If you wish you knew more about gardening and had more confidence in your abilities, you need the Growing Roots Gardening Guide. 

It’s an e-book plus 6 bonuses. Everything you need to go from complete garden newb to confident gardener in one growing season. Get all the details of what’s inside here. 

Happy gardening!