How to Freeze Fresh Tomato Sauce

You can enjoy tomato sauce made with fruit straight from your garden any time of year when you use this freezing technique.

Step 1: Label the bags Label your plastic bags with the permanent marker. List the type of sauce and the date.
TIP: Your frozen sauce will be good for up to a year after the date you freeze it.
Step 2: Fill the bags Spoon your sauce into the bags, filling them one at a time. A pint-sized bag holds four 1/2-cup servings and a quart-sized bag holds eight.
Step 3: Squeeze out the air Squeeze as much air from a bag as you can without squeezing tomato sauce out and close the zip closure, leaving half an inch of space open.
Step 4: Remove the remaining air Lay the bag flat on the counter. Insert a straw in the open half inch of the closure and zip it up to the straw. Then suck out the remaining air.
TIP: Creating a vacuum seal in the bag will prolong the life of the sauce by removing any air.
Step 5: Close and freeze Close the bag completely, lay it flat on a baking sheet, and freeze. Once frozen, you can store your sauce upright or flat in the freezer.
Step 6: Thaw and eat Open a bag, break off as much as you need, and put the rest back in the freezer. Thaw your frozen sauce and enjoy a delicious spaghetti dinner with tomato sauce that tastes straight from the garden.
FACT: There are more than 10,000 varieties of tomatoes.