PEELING TOMATOES: HOW TO EASILY REMOVE THE SKIN FROM TOMATOES
This summer I have had an incredible tomato harvest. I planted a mixture of tomatoes all of which were organic heirloom tomatoes. I have three rows of tomatoes with about 6 plants to a row. Normally the birds get a lot more than they have this year and I usually lose a lot to the heat. This year however has been a little milder than normal.
When I was planting, my husband cautioned me that I was planting too many tomatoes. Not so I exclaimed and told him not to worry I had plans, big, big plans! I knew I wanted to freeze, dehydrate, can, and make my own rotel this year. To do all of that I would need lots of tomatoes!
Once the tomatoes started coming in I was excited. Before you can do much with tomatoes you need to peel them. Peeling isn’t hard but it is a tad messy and time-consuming if you are doing a lot.
Instead of taking a lot of pictures, I decided to turn the video camera on and grab a video of the process. That way I knew I wouldn’t miss anything; I hope you enjoy it.
I recorded several canning videos at the same time so be sure to subscribe on YouTube!
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
- Tomatoes
- Pan of boiling water
- Bowl of ice water
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Dehydrator, wire or mesh screen or baking sheet
While your water is getting to a boiling point clean your tomatoes.
Fill a bowl full of water and ice. Be sure to leave enough room for the tomatoes to go in without causing the water to overflow.
Once your water is boiling drop your tomatoes in a few at a time. Leave them in only long enough to make the skin crack, usually about 1-2 minutes. Remember you don’t want to cook them only loosen the skin.
Carefully remove the tomatoes from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and immediately place them in the ice water. This quickly cools the tomato down to prevent it from cooking and also makes them easy to handle.
After about 1-2 minutes you can handle the tomatoes. You will notice the skin of the tomato has cracks in, gently rub the skin and it will come off. Discard the skin and place the skinned tomatoes in a bowl. I usually wait to take the skins off until I have all my tomatoes done to avoid leaving them in the boiling water too long.
