Living in a Mediterranean country has many perks, but one of its greatest blessings is the tomatoes in summer. The tomatoes in Germany never tasted as fruity and juicy as what I could get my hands on in Turkey. But despite these differences, there is a much bigger factor we should keep in mind: the season. Once the season is over, you simply don’t get the same flavor anymore – no matter where you are.

So, here are some of the ways to you can get the best out of your summer tomatoes and preserve them to use them year-round:

Freeze them

A - Chuck them in whole

This one is probably the one that requires the least work. Just remove the stem from the tomatoes carefully and place them in plastic bags. Preferably you should divide them into portions you are planning to use in the future. Make sure you squeeze out the excess air in the bags and write the date you put them in the freezer for reference.

Once out of the freezer and thawed, the tomatoes should not be frozen again and should be used up in sauces, soups or the like. While thawing and cutting them, the skin of the tomatoes will come off easily, so no hot water baths are needed to remove it.

A big disadvantage of this method is that it takes up a lot of space in your freezer. If you have a big freezer but not the patience to prepare some of the other versions we’ll be presenting here, it is still an option.

And one more warning: Don’t expect to substitute your thawed tomatoes for fresh ones because they will become mushy due to their high water content – a rich 95%! So this method only works for sauces or stews.

B - Cut, grate and then freeze

If you really don’t have the space to accommodate whole frozen tomatoes in your freezer but still don’t want to work too hard there is another way. Cut the tomatoes into pieces or sizes you’ll need when you cook them later on, drain them of their juices and seeds, and divide them into useful portions. The practicality and advantageous side of this method is that you don’t need to wait for it to thaw, and you can toss it into the sauces or foods and cook it. One point to keep in mind though is that as it thaws, it will release a lot of juice.

The other way to do this is to grate the tomatoes and repeat the same steps. Personally speaking, I don't prefer this technique as the tomato water is wasted if you do not intend to make a sauce or soup out of them right away – and freezer space is precious.

Cook them

There are many ways this can be done, but the most hassle-free would be to clean the tomatoes, quarter them and then just toss them all in a big enough pot. On medium heat, the tomatoes will release their juices and start to boil. Occasional stirring is encouraged, and you’ll want to remove any foam that builds up on the top. It is edible, so you could make a dish from the foam then and there, but you don’t want to have it in your preserved jars as it may cause the whole mix to go bad.