It’s been several months since I started the Plant Paradox Protocol, and my garden outside is dotted with plump, juicy red fruit. Yes, the tomatoes are in peak season. Rather than let them shrivel and decay on the vine, I decided to try my hand at peeling, de-seeding, and pressure cooking these end-of-summer staples. Also, look for an incredibly simple, yet delicious early fall recipe to try in a pressure cooker!

Peeling Method for Tomatoes

Prep: X Marks the Spot

1. Bring a large pot, filled halfway with water, to a boil on the stove.
2. Remove the stems, and cut an X-shape into the bottom-center of the tomato with a paring knife.
3. Fill a large bowl halfway with ice water.

Blanch

Using a large spoon, lower the tomatoes into the boiling water and boil until the skins begin to wrinkle and peel, about 45 seconds to 1 minute.

Give Tomatoes an Ice Bath

Ladle the tomatoes out of the boiling water with a slotted spoon, and immediately place them in the bowl of ice water to cool.

Peel Skin

When the tomatoes are cool enough to touch (about 1 minute in the ice bath), remove the skin using your hands, peeling away from the X-shape.

Deseeding Method

Cut into Wedges

Cut each tomato in half  along the stem hole, then into 3 equal-sized wedges per half. This should intersect each seed pocket of the tomato.

Remove Seeds

Use your fingers or a small spoon to remove the seeds from the tomato, making sure to scrape out the inside pockets. They should look a bit like “ears” when all the seeds have been removed from each pocket.

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How to Peel and Deseed Tomatoes (Summary)

1. Bring a large pot, filled halfway with water, to a boil on the stove.
2. Remove the stems from your tomatoes, and cut an X-shape into the bottom-center of the tomato with a paring knife.
3. Fill a large bowl halfway with ice water.
4. Lower tomatoes into boiling water and boil for 45-60 seconds, until skins wrinkle and start to peel.
5. Immediately place tomatoes into bowl of ice water to cool for about 1 minute.
6. Remove tomatoes from ice water and peel skins away from X-shape.
7. Cut each tomato in half, then into 3 equal-sized wedges per half.
8. Use fingers or a small spoon to scrape out the seeds from each wedge, being sure to get inside the “pockets.”

How Do I Eat These?

I’m glad you asked! I recommend pressure cooking to ensure near total destruction of the lectin content. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, it’s a sound investment for someone looking to expand the horizons of lectin free eating. The model I personally use in my home kitchen is the Duo 60 7-in-1 (6 quart) Instant Pot. It has greatly expanded the list of foods I can tolerate.

–> Use coupon code LECTINFREEMAMA at checkout to get $10.00 off any purchase of $99.00 or more from the Instant Pot Online Store (plus free shipping).

Recipe

Ready for a recipe that utilizes these gorgeous tomatoes you’ve painstakingly peeled and deseeded? Click HERE for my dirt simple early fall chili recipe in the pressure cooker!