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Making and Homemade Gazpacho from Fresh Tomatoes!

Click here for a PDF print version

Yields 8 - 10 servings

Making and freezing your own Gazpacho gives you a great tasting, healthy treat you can enjoy.  No store bought Gazpacho compares with the taste of this classic Spanish soup made from your own tomatoes from your garden or fresh-picked from a local farm! 

Unfortnately, no, you can't can it (it will turn to glop, and even with a pressure canner, it's still very low acid).  You'll have to enjoy it fresh.

Here's how to do it, in easy steps and completely illustrated.   This method is so easy, ANYONE can do this!  It's a great thing to do with your kids!

Ingredients

• Tomatoes - 6 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 purple onion, finely chopped
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped
• 1 sweet red bell pepper (or green) seeded and chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1-2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 4 cups tomato juice
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
• 6 or more drops of Tabasco sauce to taste
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Equipment

• Pint (or smaller) jars or containers
• 1 large pot.
• Large spoons and ladles

Process - How to Make Gazpacho from Fresh Tomatoes

Step 1 - Selecting the tomatoes

It's fun to go pick your own and you can obviously get better quality tomatoes!  

At right is a picture of tomatoes from my garden - they are so much better than anything from the grocery store. And if you don't have enough, a pick-your-own farm is the pace to go!  At right are 4 common varieties that will work:

Top left: Beefsteak	Top right: Lemon Boy, yellow
Bottom left: Roma, paste-type	Bottom right: Better Boy

 

 

 

 

 

The picture at left shows the best variety of tomato to use: Roma; also called paste tomatoes.  they have fewer sides, thicker, meatier walls, and less water.

Also, you don't want mushy, bruised or rotten tomatoes!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 2 - Removing the tomato skins

Here's a trick you may not know: put the tomatoes, a few at a time in a large pot of boiling water for no more than 1 minute (30 - 45 seconds is usually enough)

then....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plunge them into a waiting bowl of ice water.

 

This makes the skins slide right off of the tomatoes!  If you leave the skins in, they become tough and chewy in the sauce, not very pleasant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 3 -  Removing seeds and water

After you have peeled the skins off the tomatoes, cut the tomatoes in half.  Now we need to remove the seeds and excess water. 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 4 - Squeeze of the seeds and water

Just like it sounds: wash your hands then squeeze each tomato and use your finger or a spoon to scoop and shake out most of the seeds.  You don't need to get fanatical about it; removing just most will do. Another way to do it is to cut each tomato in half, across it, instead of lengthwise. Then just shake the seeds and juice out.

 

Step 5 - Drain and dice the tomatoes

Toss the squeezed (Squozen? :) tomatoes into a colander or drainer, while you work on others. This helps more of the water to drain off.  You may want to save the liquid: if you then pass it through a sieve, screen or cheesecloth, you have fresh tomato juice; great to drink cold or use in cooking!

Next chop them up - I like 1/2 inch size cubes. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 6 - Separate the chopped tomatoes into 2 parts

Keep about 1/2 cup apart to add at the end.  Put the rest into the food processor, chopped or blender.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 6 - Prep the other stuff for the food processor

I use an electric chopper (food processor) to dice the seasonings fairly fine, about 1/8 inch cubes. You can separate about 1 cup of it before it gets too finely pureed, so you can add it at the end to give it some chunky buts.

• 1 purple onion, finely chopped
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped
• 1 sweet red bell pepper (or green) seeded and chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1-2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
• 1 clove garlic, minced

 

Step 7 - Mix ingredients in the pot or large bowl

 

Mix and the put them

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add the seasonings and mix well:

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
• 6 or more drops of Tabasco sauce to taste
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Taste and if you like it spicier, you can more Tabasco.

And if you like your Gazpacho thick, add more tomato paste.  If it is too thick, add tomato juice!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 8 - Fill the jars, ziploc bags or other containers and refrigerate

Fill non-metal, non-reactive storage containers, cover them tightly and refrigerate overnight, allowing flavors to blend.

 

This must be stored in the fridge!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other Equipment: From left to right: Jar lifting tongs          to pick up hot jars Lid lifter          - to remove lids from the pot          of boiling water (sterilizing ) Lid         - disposable - you may only         use them once Ring        - holds the lids on the jar until after       the jars cool - then you don't need them Canning jar funnel       - to fill the jars

Answers to Common Questions

What did I do wrong if my jars spoil?

Tomatoes are a borderline acid / low acid fruit (see this page about tomato acidity for more information) - adding lemon juice helps boost the acid level of the sauce, by adding 2 tablespoons of lemon juice (or 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid per quart) 

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Picking Tips

[General picking tips and a guide to each fruit and vegetable] [How much do I need to pick? (Yields - how much raw makes how much cooked or frozen)] [Selecting the right varieties to pick] [All about apple varieties - which to pick and why!]  [Picking tips for Vegetables] [ Strawberry picking tips] [ Blueberries picking tips]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Illustrated Canning, Freezing, Jam Instructions and Recipes

[ All About Home Canning, Freezing and Making Jams, Pickles, Sauces, etc. ] [FAQs - Answers to common questions and problems] [Recommended books about home canning, jam making, drying and preserving!] [Free canning publications to download and print]