Tomatoes overload - can I freeze them?

[Startingagainandagain]

Started my first vegetable raised beds this year and the one where I planted tomatoes has given me a bumper crop this month....more than I can realistically cook/eat fresh.

Can tomatoes be frozen? what would I need to do to preserve them?

I just cut them in to chunks and cook down a bit, then freeze in bags. I use them through winter in pasta etc

As above. Early in the season I cook them gently down with onions and garlic and basil and then sieve them into a delicious passata and freeze that. By now I'm just chucking them raw in a bag in the freezer. If you defrost them the skins slip off really easily.

We cut our larger toms into quarters and pop them into ice cream containers and freeze directly. No cooking or blanching beforehand - they go mushy in my experience. The smaller cherry tomatoes go into the freezer exactly as they are. The green toms also get frozen as they are great later in bolognese or to make chutney. Right now we have about twenty containers of mixed toms frozen. The same with apples chunks ready for pies later in the year.

Roast them or cook in air fryer with garlic and herbs, whizz in a blender then freeze. Good for pasta sauce or with other, raw tomatoes to make salsa.

Small ones, I cook whole for a couple of minutes in olive oil and salt and then freeze in a tub. And use in pasta etc.

Big ones; I make huge pans of simple tomato soup and freeze in portions.

Or with a bit more trouble (not much, and Lidl do v well priced olives and anchovies) make puttanesca sauce and freeze in portions.

But my tomato crop was terrible this year. 🙁

You can also freeze the whole if you like.

You could also make chutney with them or 'can' them in jam jars.

I just freeze them whole to use in soups.

Thank you everyone for the suggestions!!

I will try my hand at making a jar of pasta sauce, cook and eat a few of the tomatoes this week then freeze the rest.

I've had a surfeit of them. I cut them up and put in a pan with a little water to stop them catching, and then leave them to cook for about 30 mins, stirring occasionally.
I then put the lot through a sieve, pushing them against sides. Remember to scrape the bottom of the sieve occasionally to remove the fine pulp. All that get's thrown away are the skins and seeds, the rest goes into small containers for the freezer.

Funnily enough my neighbour gave me a bag of tomatoes today saying that she had had a big crop of monster tomatoes this year and wanted to give some away...I did not have the heart to tell her that I already had a mountain of them as she is so kind and I took the bag, so now I have even more tomatoes to deal with.

There must have been something in the water/soil this year as we all seem to have a local invasion of giant tomatoes...

You can freeze still-green tomatoes as well. They are lovely cooked in casseroles etc, and I quarter them before freezing.

I will try my hand at making a jar of pasta sauce

Don't try to wing this, if you're not familiar with canning. Find a good set of instructions and follow them carefully. You don't want to risk botulism. Freezing it is is simpler. Tomatoes also dry well - cut in half for cherry varieties, slices or wedges for larger, and dry in a low oven.

You could ask your local food bank or community shop if they want some. I know a lot of food banks just give out tins and packets but some do distribute fresh food.

If you do the canning / chutney route the instructions are always to sterilise the jars in the oven. I use the dishwasher on a hot setting and keep the door closed until I use them instead.