We’ve seen signs throughout the past week that summer is coming to an end, and fall is quickly approaching. As much as I love the fall — with watching the leaves change to vibrant warm colors of orange, yellow and red, drinking mulled spiced cider and enjoying the warm spices that influence our food and drink choices — my garden is as happy and thriving as ever. This sparks the question of what can I do with my final harvests?

There are many ways to preserve your harvests of fruits and vegetables in the forms of jams, jellies, pickles and canned foods, but an often-ignored preservation option is the freezer, particularly with tomatoes. While other approaches have advantages, freezing is very simple and quick, and it requires less knowhow and equipment.

Don’t get me wrong — there is nothing better than a fresh tomato, but freezing will give you a chance to make spaghetti sauce in January that tastes like you just picked the tomatoes yesterday. They lose the structure for slicing for sandwiches, but they are an excellent choice if you want to use them in stews and sauces throughout the harsh winter months.

Instead of puréeing and canning, you may put them directly into freezer bags. Yes, that’s right! It’s an easy, yet clever method of preserving tomatoes. Months later, their vibrant flavor and delightful acidity will still be evident, giving you the impression that you’ve traveled back in time to the summer months. To make things even easier later, cut an “X” shape on the bottom of each tomato with a paring knife. This will allow them to peel quickly. As the tomato starts to thaw, the skin will peel right off.

Summer squash freezes very well, and there are several easy ways to do so. If you want to sauté, roast or add to a stew, chop into thin, medium-to-large rounds or chunks. Next, blanch the squash to soften the flesh and quicken the cooking process later. To blanch, submerge the pieces in salted, boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain the squash, and immediately place it in an ice bath to halt the cooking process. Freeze in a single layer on sheet pans, and then place the pieces in freezer-safe bags once frozen.

Another great way is to shred the squash using the biggest holes on a box grater or the shredding attachment on a food processor. Squeeze the excess liquid from the squash with a cheese cloth, and pack it into freezer-safe bags. It is handy to premeasure the shredded squash in each bag, so you know exactly what you have for your recipes later. This is perfect for zucchini bread, fritters, frittatas, cornbread, casseroles, sauces and even soups.

Don’t forget to wash all your produce and to label and date the freezer bags! Here are a few easy recipes using frozen or fresh vegetables.

Tomato sauce

Ingredients:

• 2½ lb. fresh ripe tomatoes (or whole frozen tomatoes, thawed)

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 2 ounces white wine

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 small onion, chopped

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• Salt and red pepper flakes (to taste)

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 2 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Directions:

1. Take your frozen tomatoes from the freezer and allow them to mostly thaw. Using the X-sliced end, peel your tomato. For each tomato, place it on cutting board, cut in half, remove seeds and chop remaining tomato pulp.

2. If using fresh tomatoes, bring a large pot of water to a boil. With a paring knife, cut an “X” shape on the bottom of each tomato. Set up an ice bath by putting several cups of ice in a large bowl and pouring in a cup or two of cold water. Set ice bath aside. Once water boils, carefully lower tomatoes into boiling water with a slotted spoon. Boil for 30 seconds. Remove tomatoes and place in ice water for several minutes. Once tomatoes are cool enough to handle, peel the skins off. For each tomato, place it on cutting board, cut in half, remove seeds and chop remaining tomato.

3. To make tomato sauce, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender (about 5 minutes).

4. Add garlic. Cook, stirring until fragrant (about a minute), and add tomato paste. Stir for another minute. Then add the chopped tomatoes, salt, red pepper flakes, wine and sugar. Increase heat to medium-high. When tomatoes are bubbling briskly, stir and reduce heat to medium. Simmer, stirring often, until tomatoes have cooked down and are beginning to stick to pan (about 30 minutes, depending on consistency). Stir in chopped basil, taste and adjust seasoning.

Zucchini cornbread

Ingredients:

• ½ cup yellow cornmeal

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

• ⅓ cup granulated sugar

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• ¼ teaspoon baking soda

• ¾ teaspoon salt

• 1 cup buttermilk or milk

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

• 4 tablespoons (half a stick) salted butter, melted

• 2 cups unpeeled shredded, drained zucchini

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Make a well in the dry ingredients, and add the buttermilk, eggs, melted butter and shredded zucchini. Stir just until combined.
4. Spread the batter in the prepared pan, and bake for 30-35 minutes until the top springs back lightly to the touch and/or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

About

Lincoln Land Community College offers credit programs in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management and Baking/Pastry, and non-credit cooking and food classes through LLCC Community Education.

Cooking or food questions? Email epicuriosity101@llcc.edu.