It took me a while to relax. I had lost my ability to focus. My job kept popping into my mind, and I had to remind myself that whether or not the baking parchment got ordered didn't matter to me anymore.
I gave myself tasks. First thing, I picked up a full grocery bag of pears from under the tree in the back yard. This was prime season, and there would be another full bag by the afternoon. I peeled and sliced them, then filled the dehydrator. It runs 24/7 this time of year. I normally did this after work, and it had become a task, rather than a joy, as had the tomatoes this summer. I always appreciated them, even mentally thanking the plants each time I filled a bag, but my legs were tired after a full day of work, and my garden seemed so far from the front door. And then there were all those tomatoes to deal with.
I froze some. I dried some. We cooked with some. Each day, I made a wrap of pesto, cheese and fresh tomatoes, something I could heat in the microwave and eat at work. I gave some away, but still, they ripened faster than I could deal with them.
I tried to catch up on the things I let slide with the house, and one task was the three grocery bags of tomatoes still stashed in my fridge. I pulled them out, cut off the bad parts, and still had 12 cups of diced tomatoes.
It was the beginning of getting my house back under control. We did a lot with tomatoes in the next few days.
I mentioned freezing them. If you want to freeze tomatoes for later use, grow Romas. They're really the best for cooking. Drying, too.
To skin: Boil water, and have a bowl of ice water ready. Cut a shallow x in the bottom of each tomato. Blanch in boiling water (maybe about 15 seconds, no more.) Using tongs, move tomato to the bowl of ice water. You should be able to peel the skin off easily.
Now, they are ready for use immediately, or bagging up to be frozen for later use. After freezing, use just like you would canned tomatoes.
If you plan to dry them, start with Romas. Slice in half lengthwise. If you have a dehydrator (which I do), dry them there. If not, you can dry them in a gas oven. Place the halves cut side up on a sheet pan, and heat them at the lowest temperature setting for a couple of hours. Turn off, and leave the door shut. The heat from the pilot should finish the job in a day or two. If it's moving too slowly, you can run the heat longer, but don't make it hotter. You don't want to cook them.
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