In the summer, especially at the end of the season when all of a sudden there is so much to do to capture the harvest, I sometimes will pick whole tomatoes and freeze them (skins and cores intact) in gallon-sized bags.

A full bag holds about 3 pounds of tomatoes and is perfect in the middle or end of winter when my canned tomatoes are running low and I’m jonesing for that bright tomato taste.

Additional Photos

Tomatoes fresh from the garden can be frozen, skins and all, in gallon-sized plastic bags for use during the depths of winter. Elizabeth Poisson photo

I encourage you to try it.

The first recipe here shows how to use the frozen tomatoes in the deep of winter. Preserving tomatoes this way sure beats standing over a pot of steaming water for several hours on a sweltering afternoon (although I have such good memories of doing just that with my mom and grandmother that canned tomatoes will always have a place in my repertoire as well).

MARINARA SAUCE

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cups peeled and diced onion (about 1 medium onion)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Several grinds of fresh black pepper

1 tablespoon minced garlic, about 3 cloves

1/2 cup white wine

3 pounds whole tomatoes, fresh or frozen, or two 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons minced parsley

2 tablespoons minced basil

Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and then the onions, salt and pepper. Saute for 7 to 10 minutes or until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the garlic and saute another 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the wine and reduce to 1 tablespoon.

Add all of the tomatoes. If they are frozen, like mine were, cover with a lid for 10 minutes until they have completely defrosted. Remove the lid and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, as they will have more liquid than the canned ones. If they are canned, leave the lid off and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. The consistency should be about the same as canned sauce when you are done. Run the whole lot through a food mill and use as you will.

Makes 4 to 6 cups.

TOMATO, CILANTRO AND JALAPENO SALSA

1 1/2 cups lightly packed cilantro leaves

3 cloves garlic

1 jalapeno, coarsely chopped

1 1/2 cups diced onions

6 cups peeled and cored tomatoes, quartered

1/2 cup lime juice, about 2 limes

1 teaspoon salt

Pulse cilantro, garlic and jalapeno in food processor until minced. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until still chunky but mixed. Pour or ladle into a measuring cup and divide between 4 pint-sized freezer containers. Date, label and freeze for up to six months.

Makes about 6 cups.

PICKLES

Canning in general, but pickling in particular, can be a maddening process where you spend hours processing mountains of cucumbers with less than stellar results. During the past several years, I’ve found that pickle recipes are like antiques – one person’s favorite is another’s junk.

Then one day, the new light of the dawn shown upon my kitchen when I became comfortable enough with the process to begin experimenting with my own recipes and discovered – aha! – if I liked the taste of the brine before it was canned with the pickles, then I liked the pickles.

So if you want to experiment or are just putting your big toe into the hot pot of pickle making, I suggest you taste the liquid that will bathe your cukes. You’ll have a much higher ratio of success.

If you are experimenting, try different salts or spices, smoked sea salt, smoked paprika, curry, red pepper flakes, garlic, dry mustard and horseradish. Go for it. You also may want to try to make refrigerator pickles first to see how you like a small batch before you dive in with a whole bushel of cucumbers. In any event, be brave.

DILLED GREEN BEANS

These are by far my most favorite, and I grow beans just so I can make these. They end up pairing with both our hamburgers and my homemade charcuterie with equal aplomb.

4 pounds whole green beans (about 4 quarts)

5 cups vinegar

5 cups water

1/2 cup salt

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper per pint jar

1/2 teaspoon whole mustard seed per pint jar

1/2 teaspoon dill seed per pint jar

1 clove garlic per pint jar

Wash beans thoroughly; drain and cut into lengths to fill pint jars. Pack beans into clean, hot jars; add pepper, mustard seed, dill seed and garlic.

Combine vinegar, water and salt; heat to boiling. Pour boiling liquid over the beans.

Makes about 8 pints.

GRANDMA’S BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES

These are both sweet and sour, so if that isn’t a taste that appeals to you, the pickles won’t either. But I just love them, and so do my girls.

3 1/2 pounds cucumbers, sliced

4 onions, sliced

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup salt

1 1/2 tablespoon celery seed

1 1/2 tablespoon mustard seed

3/4 teaspoon turmeric

3 cups vinegar

1 tablespoon ginger

Sprinkle cucumbers and onions with salt. Cover with cold water. Refrigerate overnight. In the morning, drain well. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Transfer to hot, sterilized jars, filling jars but leaving a half-inch head space, and seal with lids. Process 10 minutes in a water bath. Remove jars from canner and complete seals. Set jars upright, several inches apart, on wire racks to cool.

Anne Mahle of Rockland is the author of “At Home, At Sea,” a recipe book about her experiences cooking aboard the family’s windjammer. She can be reached at: chefannie@mainewindjammer.com