Freezing Tomatoes

This is my first year to try this, and I am way excited about it.  If you have freezer space and enjoy cooking with diced tomatoes, this seams like a very efficient way to go.  I am excited to try our frozen tomatoes in soups and sauces this winter.

I have heard that you can just put whole tomatoes in the freezer and use them to cook later.  I have also heard that the skins can get tough.  I decided to spend a little bit of time preparing the tomatoes now, so when I use them I just have to dump them from the bag.

Step One- Blanching
The first thing you do is blanch the tomatoes.  This makes it really easy to take the skins off. 
Wash your tomatoes & start a pot of water boiling.  Prepare a bowl with ice water. 

Place the tomatoes in the boiling water for about 30 seconds, then use a slotted spoon to put the tomatoes into the bowl of ice water.

Step Two- Remove Skins
After blanching, the tomatoe skins will peal off with very little effort.

Step Three- Dice and Bag
I then diced them up and placed them in snack size baggies (about 1.5 cups ea.).  I then put the snack bags in a gallon freezer bag.