Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
txmarti

What is your favorite way to preserve Early Girl tomatoes?

TxMarti
10 years ago

I have tried for years to grow Roma tomatoes so I could can some sauce. But I guess it's just too hot here so this year we grew Early Girl. We picked our first tonight, about 20 of them and I'd like to preserve them. I've never canned any tomatoes other than chow chow with green tomatoes.

Comments (6)

  • digdirt2
    10 years ago

    Variety doesn't make any difference as the same methods apply to all varieties. So it depends on how you would use them the most. Canned plain tomatoes can be used for any number of recipes so the instructions for canning crushed tomatoes (linked below) is one of the most popular methods.

    If you'd use more tomato sauce than whole or chopped tomatoes then you can turn any tomato into sauce and using anything other than Romas will deliver a better tasting sauce. Most use a mixture of many different varieties to make sauce for either canning or freezing as it will deliver a far superior flavored sauce.

    Canning salsa is probably the next most popular method but it can be tricky since it also includes low acid ingredients so only tested and approved recipes can be used for it.

    Of course you can also freeze them plain and use them for cooking if you don't want to get into canning.

    Check out all the canning and freezing instructions for them at NCHFP

    Hope this helps.

    Dave

    Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP - Canning Crushed Tomatoes with no added liquid

  • TxMarti
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I meant different methods of preservation, like dehydrating, canning, or freezing?

  • digdirt2
    10 years ago

    In that case - canning, by far. I think I am safe in saying that far more tomatoes get canned then get frozen and/or dehydrated together. Especially when dealing with a large crop.

    Dave

  • TxMarti
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks. I picked them Friday. Do you think Monday would be too late to can them?

  • S L
    5 years ago

    I was just looking up freezing early girl tomatoes. I've read never to cook bake or fry early girl, so your answer confused me. If you shouldn't cook, bake or fry them how could you can them. I've read they are good as a salsa, salads etc., Maybe you could freeze your salsas and freeze your tomatoes. Look up the Early girls site, it's alot of work growing tomatoes [fun though isn't it, I sit up all night , every nite reading all these sites] and time , don't do something your not sure of.. Jerry Baker has alot of fun potions and advice to learn from too ,Good luck. Wish we could know how it worked out for you. I just saw the date on this, so maybe this will be useful for someone else.

  • digdirt2
    5 years ago

    "I've read never to cook bake or fry early girl, so your answer confused me."

    No idea where you read that or what their reasoning may be but many people can Early Girls in various ways every year and they do get cooked during the processing. They aren't the most tasty or popular growing variety of the 1000's of tomato varieties available. Indeed many growers turn up their nose at them. But you can bet they do get "cooked" in all sorts of ways. ;-)

    Dave