A freshly picked, fleshy tomato is a gardener’s trophy in mid summer. But come August, the hot fruit is so prodigious it can be difficult to manage the constant harvesting. As Labor Day draws near, baskets of “Costoluto Genovese,” “Red Currant,” “San Marzano” and “Sungold” tomatoes begin to overwhelm the Weatherstone kitchen and I am pressed for time to put up the fruit before it begins to rot. 

Over the years, I have taken many different measures to enjoy, and deal with, the bounty. Here are two, tried and true alternatives to conventional canning.

The absolute easiest and fastest remedy to preserve the ripening fruit is to move them into the freezer. Gather whole, fresh, unblemished tomatoes at the peak of ripeness, gently wash and dry them and then pop them into a zippered bag and toss them into the freezer. These are wonderful to have on hand in the winter when I need chopped tomatoes. After a quick thaw on the counter, the skins slip right off and the pulp is ready to be added to pasta sauce, stews or soup.

If you live in a hot, dry climate (at least 85° and less than 60 percent relative humidity), it is rather simple to make your own sun-dried tomatoes. To do this, select the best plum tomatoes, which are less watery than most varieties. Wash and cut them in half lengthwise. Place the halves cut side down on a nylon or plastic window screen. Cover the tomatoes with one layer of cheesecloth to protect them from dirt and insects. Tent the cheesecloth slightly with short glasses to increase air circulation. Place the screen outside in direct sun, but bring it indoors overnight to avoid dew. Turn the tomatoes after a day or two and continue to dry–the whole process will generally take two to three days.

Store sun-dried tomatoes in sterilized glass jars with tight-fitting lids. Alternately, you can dry plum tomatoes in an electric food dryer set at 120° for about 24 hours. Drying tomatoes in a conventional oven is difficult because you must maintain a low heat of 120° consistently for 24 hours.

To reconstitute the dried tomatoes, pour boiling water over them, then let them sit for five minutes, or until they soften. Drain and cover with olive oil seasoned with a garlic clove. Marinate the tomatoes for 24 hours in the refrigerator. The tomatoes can be stored in the oil, if refrigerated, for up to three weeks. Reconstituted tomatoes also can be pureed with their olive oil and used as you would tomato paste.