BOTTLING TOMATOES

I have so many tomatoes! One of the easiest ways to preserve them is just to freeze them whole. When you want to use them, put them for a few seconds under the hot tap while they are still frozen and the skin peels off so easily. The tomatoes I froze last year lasted all through the winter with no signs of deterioration. However my freezer is full so I have started bottling them again. It's quite easy here in France to find preserving jars very cheap at brocantes (Junk /car boot sales), you just must remember to replace the rubber rings each time you use them. Here is the method I use which always seems to work.

Cover the tomatoes with boiling water for about one minute then remove the skins. Roughly cut up the tomatoes and place in the jars, pressing the fruit down. You will find by the time you have reached the top of the jars that there is enough juice to just cover the fruit. I usually do about 4 jars at a time, each one a 500g jar. Close the lids lightly without doing up the clip. Cook for about 1 hour in the oven at 150 degrees. As soon as they come out of the oven, do up the clip. Leave to get completely cold. Then test the seal by opening the clip. If the lids remain closed, all is well and you can reclip them and store. Otherwise you will have to use the tomatoes up quite quickly.