Hi, I am under the impression, from having taken classes from Hanna Kroger, that the tomatoes have to be cooked, not raw, which is why she recommends getting the canned stewed tomatoes. Tomato paste would be cooked so it would work. JS Mom will need to stew her fresh tomatoes. Tomatoes must be cooked to release the lycopene in them, which is what apparently releases the heavy metals and pesticides from their jail cells inside the liver.