Capitol Hill Blue Forums Misc. Topics Food, Drink and Cooking Seeding Tomatoes

If and when I bothered to seed tomatoes, I used the tedious, time consuming method of slicing them in half and scooping out the seeds with a spoon. There's a better method. I never used it, but I do now for salsas, sauces, and canning. After you drop the tomatoes in boiling water, wait until the skinned tomatoes cool, and remove the skins, you place them in a colander and press either with a slotted spoon, wooden spoon, or whatever. Then you pour what went through the colander through a fine mesh stainer and press again. You'll remove the majority of the seeds and won't even notice any that remain in your sauces, salsas, salads, stews, etc. I learned this technique from the following video (watch both parts):
Also, take it easy on the oregano. However (I like oregano's aroma and taste), you can add a little extra to the finished sauce or whatever you're baking/cooking afterwards.

I have never seeded tomatoes. I never minded eating the seeds. But this vi00d0e0o was very helpful!

Seems the same way I use to recover seeds from my heirloom tomatoes !

I scald them to remove the skins when making sauce or freezing them as their skin is very thick. But they're other wise very "meaty" having a very flavorful flesh that retains its color/flavor even thru freezing.

These are of a "long pepper" variety attaining about 2" dia. and 6" in length. A dozen or so seeds is contained in each of four placenta that easily remove with a teaspoon for cleaning and drying.

BTW, these are great fresh eaters ! Thin-sliced they make great hoagies/grinders as their flavor stands up to fatty meats/cheeses and dressings ! >Mech

She was cute but she'd be wearing a hairnet in my kitchen.

Here's a slightly different method. Note that chef cores the tomato first and keeps the blanching time to a minimum. Always shock the tomato in ice water as soon as it comes out of the boiling water. It's a lot less slimy and mushy if it isn't cooked.



I just planted 20 tomato plants. If the weather cooperates I'll be spending hours in the kitchen doing this.

Mech, those tomatoes sound fantastic, I'd love to have some seeds. If I promise to be nice will you send me a few?

Those tomatoes sound delicious!

I got a few San Marzano seeds a year or so ago, and I can tell you that the claims about San Marzanos are not for from absolute truth. It took me about a hundred tomatoes to make a quart of tomato sauce, but darn it was good.

I now save some of the seeds every year.

It'd be really nice if they grew as big as the 2 by 6 ones. What exactly are those, Mech?

Scoutgal, a pot of fresh tomato sauce tastes so much better that it's worth the extra effort. For the most part, I make my sauce the same way that she does, except I begin by browning some sausage in olive oil at a low heat (flavor). When they're brown (about 1/2 hour)I saute about 10+ cloves of garlic, until golden. If I'm using onion, I do the onion first, and then when the onion is soft, I add the garlic. Sometimes I'll use just a little salt pork to flavor if not browning sausage or pork ribs or steak. I then add the fresh tomatoes, paste, and sometime a can or two of crushed tomatoes. I more or less follow her method if I'm doing meatballs, which I add in the last hour or so. If I'm adding shrimp or calamari (I cut the tubers), I add them in the last 2 minutes or so, until their opaque and cooked. Sometimes I just do the marinara sauce.

Mechanic, one of my favorite sandwiches is a sliced fresh tomato on toasted whole wheat with some mayonnaise and a little salt and pepper. On a hot summer day, you can't beat it. With a glass of ice tea it's the perfect summer lunch.

Greger, that's the way that I did it for years. It's a lot easier boiling the tomatoes and letting them cool before peeling the skin. I really haven't noticed that much difference in the ultimate product. I usually use about 10 lbs or so of Roma tomatoes for each pot of sauce, so it's easier processing them by boiling a little longer.

SG,

They are and I've got the only seeds ! >Mech