What is the best way to use up a big glut of tomatoes?

A productive tomato crop in a good summer can produce kilograms of fruit every few days, far more than you can eat fresh. But a tomato glut is one of the best problems to have in the preserving calendar — ripe, homegrown tomatoes have a depth of flavour that makes every method of preserving them worthwhile, and the results are among the most useful things you can have in a winter larder.

The key is speed. Ripe tomatoes deteriorate quickly at room temperature — a pile sitting on the counter will be softening and splitting within three days. Process your glut within twenty-four to forty-eight hours of picking for the best results. If you cannot get to them immediately, freeze them raw and deal with them when you have time. Whole tomatoes frozen raw can go directly into a saucepan from frozen and break down perfectly for sauce.

Passata — the most versatile preserve

Passata is simply sieved raw or briefly cooked tomatoes — the liquid is the product. It is the foundation for pasta sauces, soups, pizza, risotto, and curry bases. To make it, quarter tomatoes and cook gently in a large pan for twenty to thirty minutes until completely broken down, then press through a food mill or fine sieve to remove seeds and skins. Season lightly with salt. Cool and freeze in 500ml or 1-litre portions, or bottle in sterilised jars with added lemon juice and process in a boiling water bath for thirty-five minutes for a shelf-stable product. A 4kg batch of tomatoes makes approximately 2–2.5 litres of passata.

Slow-roasted tomatoes — the concentrated option

Halve tomatoes, place cut-side up on roasting trays, drizzle with olive oil, add a few garlic cloves and thyme sprigs, and roast at 150°C for two to three hours until the tomatoes are shrunken, darkened at the edges, and intensely concentrated. The flavour is extraordinary — far richer than fresh. These slow-roasted tomatoes freeze excellently packed into bags and can be blended from frozen into pasta sauce, or used straight as a topping for pizza or bruschetta. Two kilograms of fresh tomatoes reduces to approximately 500g of roasted tomatoes — a dramatic reduction in volume that is very freezer-friendly.

Drying cherry tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes are ideal for home drying. Halve them, place cut-side up on drying racks, and dry in the oven at 90–100°C for four to six hours until shrunken, leathery, and sweet. They keep in an airtight jar at room temperature for two to three weeks, or in oil in the fridge for two weeks, or frozen for six months. The concentrated sweetness makes them addictive eaten straight from the jar as a snack, and they are excellent in salads and pasta year-round.

Tomato chutney for green tomatoes

When the season ends and unripe green tomatoes remain on plants threatened by cold or blight, green tomato chutney is the answer. Chop green tomatoes with onions, apple, vinegar, sugar, and spices and cook slowly until thick — a classic recipe that produces a tangy, versatile chutney. The slight sharpness of unripe tomato makes an excellent counterpoint to the sweetness and produces one of the best chutneys of the preserving year.