Saturday, September 20, 2008

Preserving Tomatoes!!!

At this point, we have about 130 lbs of tomatoes in the refrigerator. When in a normal fridge, a ripe tomato will only last 2 to 3 weeks. After this period the entire tomato rots and becomes inedible. One easy way of preserving this food is to freeze it entirely. This is the method that we've choosen. First, we removed all the vines and stubs from each tomato. Then each tomato is thoroughly washed and dried with paper towels. The tomatoes are then sequestered into special zip lock vacuum seal bags, 5 lbs to a bag. The air is then pumped out of each bag, sealing the tomatoes tightly within it. The bags are then stored in the freezer. Using this method, the tomatoes can be stored for up to 6 months. We did this for 50 lbs of tomatoes tonight.

1 comment:

abiroad said...

Hello Ke Xu,

I am a senior at Barnard College of Columbia University. Here I am part of a club called CUFSP which is a student run organization promoting food sustainability here at CU. As a part of this group I started a smaller initiative to try to actually grow our own food using high-tech aquaponics and hydroponic systems in rooftop greenhouses. We see it as a potential opportunity to raise community awareness about the local food movement and urban agriculture.
Several members of the group intend to come to your urban gardening class this coming Saturday, and I was wondering if we could have a few moments to speak with you in particular about our project either before or after the class?
Please let me know. I am eager to get my project off the ground and I greatly admire your personal efforts.

Many thanks,

Abigail Cohen and CUFSP's Greenhouse Coalition