Needing suggestions...

**rachelj** · 02-05-2009, 11:46 AM

Let me say off the bat that I don't can. I probably should but I don't. I do enjoy freezing - corn, peppers, fruits, potatoes, etc. My FIL has a large garden and anything that we truly want we can get from him. I should have MIL teach me how to can but there are certain things that I don not like home canned. ANYWAY....

I am wanting to do more like container gardening or like take a 2 foot square piece of yard and plant something. What do you suggest? I know tomatoes grow well in a pot -but can those be frozen?

**Debbie-cat** · 02-05-2009, 11:49 AM

Yes, tomatoes can be frozen. You just need to remove the skins first by blanching them in water. How about carrots, celery, lettuce (eaten fresh) pole beans and pole peas?

**TexasPeanut** · 02-05-2009, 12:21 PM

If you think pole beans may take up too much space or just don't want to deal with the whole pole thing, you can grow some bush beans in a smaller area, try some green beans, peas, limas...etc. Summer squash, zucchini, there's actually alot you could plant in a small area. As far as container gardening, You can plant herbs, tomatoes, lettuces, bush beans, cucumbers (just place a large stake in the pot for them to vine on). If you have a local library nearby see if they have any container vegetable gardening books handy, or better yet, because I always say local experience is even better....ask you FIL or MIL what will work well for your area in containers.

And yes, you can freeze tomatoes. Like Debbie said just blanch them in water briefly to de-skin them. You can also use that time to squish all of the seeds and things out if you aren't fond of that in your tomatoes like me. I also just use my dehydrator and either slice up large tomatoes or place halved cherry tomatoes in there after they've been drizzled with olive oil and herbs. I usually just leave the skin on for drying. You can plump them back up in water for use in pasta dishes and etc, or grind them fine for seasoned tomato flakes for all kinds of uses in your cooking.

**Laurie in Bradenton** · 02-05-2009, 12:44 PM

I don't skin my tomatoes. I chop them up and freeze them skin, seeds and all. Then use them in soups, stews and casseroles. Skins break down in the meal. I don't can either becuase of the heat here. We don't run the a/c and no basement so I freeze everything. I've found that by freezing things in smaller packages they are easier to add at cooking time. I do make tomato sauce with older toms and freeze it in ziplock type bags. When I'm making chili or something eles I just throw the frozen lump right in and it thaws during cooking. Watch your local used bookstores for books on freezing. I've picked up dozens and refer to them often.

Laurie in Bradenton

**lovestoread** · 02-05-2009, 12:56 PM

I have frozen my tomatoes for years and like Laurie, I don't skin mine either....never had a problem with it at all...you wouldn't want to eat them in, say a salad, but in soups and other dishes you never even know they are there....they taste like they just came out of the garden...yummy....

**hestlauss** · 02-06-2009, 09:18 PM

I don't skin them before freezing either but I do freeze them individually before putting them in storage bags so that I can take a few out any time I want to add a few to a recipe. If the skin is tough or you don't want to use it just run the frozen tomato under water and the skin will peel right off. Frozen tomatoes also make interesting ice cream if you puree them in Vitamix or food processor in place of strawberries or other fruit.

You can also grow an amazing amount of spinach, lettuce or other greens in a very small area. I recommend reading any of the following books for ideas on gardening in small area: Square Foot Gardening, Postage Stamp Gardening and How to Grow More Vegetables and Fruits (and Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops) Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine

**Grainlady** · 02-10-2009, 07:46 AM

Here's a great site that will give you up-to-date information about freezing and home canning, as well as other methods of food preservation. Click on FREEZE on the left-hand side for freezing information.

National Center for Home Food Preservation
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publication...ions_usda.html

If you have a Cooperative Extension Office (County Extension Office) in your area, take advantage of all the hand-outs they have on the subject. They may even have classes on canning.

I used to can. I've taught canning classes through the Extension as a Master Food Volunteer. Ironically, I don't can anymore because with the high price of utilities, I don't think I save any money. I utilize my freezer and dehydrator for most of my produce. It's amazing how many dehydrated tomatoes you can stick in a quart jar.

I also use a method called dehydrofreezing. In normal dehydrating you remove about 80% of the moisture from fruit and 90% from vegetables. With dehydrofreezing you remove about 70% of the moisture. Because of the remaining moisture you MUST store dehydrofrozen foods in the freezer to inhibit microbial growth. The plus for using this method, your foods have good flavor and color. They reconstitute in about 1/2 the time it takes for traditionally dried foods. They also take up less freezer space than whole/frozen foods.