When I saw how expensive sun-dried tomatoes are in the grocery, I decided to make more of our own. I had made a small batch a couple of years ago, but this year we are going into production (kind of). First, I put halved Romas and Yellow Pear tomatoes to drain on the countertop with newspaper below them. dried tomato prep ( photo / image / picture from marlingardener's Garden ) Then they went outside on the drier my clever husband made. Tomatoes on drier ( photo / image / picture from marlingardener's Garden ) Finally, we put the cover on and set the drier in full sun. tomato drier with cover ( photo / image / picture from marlingardener's Garden ) My husband designed it so it can be flipped. We don't know if that is necessary, but it may help the drying process. I sincerely hope to post a photo of sun-dried tomatoes by mid-July!
Very cool mg! Have you seen the neat way to halve cherry (small) toms? I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but you take two plates and fill one with the toms and cover it with the other...the two tops facing each other. Then you take a knife and slice it between the two saucers. It's supposed to be pretty slick!
Sun-drying will not work properly unless we sprinkle a bit of salt on the tomatoes - As salt will greatly assist (or should I say speed up) the process of extracting moisture form the tomatoes. Otherwise it may take forever... And once dried properly, they should be coated with oil and frozen (for long term storage). Or else they may get re-hydrated from the air, and so can also become moldy. By the way, sun-drying and oven-drying is actually the same thing. And the ones that are labeled as "sun-dried" - Are actually oven-dried on a commercial scale. The whole idea is to extract as much moisture from them as possible (be it due to the heat of the sun, or an oven). Oven-drying is actually very quick (taking just 2 to 3 hours) compared to sun-drying, which in some areas can take weeks. But whatever you try, I am sure you'll be pleased with the results! I myself also make oven-dried tomatoes from time to time - So you really are in for a treat once they'll be dried properly in the sun!
I do like clever gardening techniques. The flip-possibility that your man thoght-up was a good one. Real sun-dried toms--How delightful is that!
S-H, as long as one puts the dried toms in jars that are sealed well, one shouldn't have to put oil on them, or freeze them. I hve had great success with using no salt, too.
Bunkie, did you use canning jars like Kerr or Ball? I have a bunch of small jelly jars, Kerr I think, that I hoped to put the dried tomatoes in. How did you seal your jars? This is an experiment for us--never tried doing so many sun-dried tomatoes--so any help you can give will be greatly appreciated!
Yes mg, I used plain old canning jars. They don't really have to be sealed, but i usually seal them with a Food Saver machine that sucks the air out of the jars and seals them....this is with no oil in them, just the dried toms. This is the one I bought... http://www.amazon.com/FoodSaver-V2244-V ... food+saver It's spendy but so worthwhile. Anything I dry I can can and seal with this tool in Mason Jars. It has an accessory port and hose, and one has to buy the lids (large and regular) to fit on top of the jars. This is a regular lid I bought (I purchased one of each size)... http://www.amazon.com/FoodSaver-T03-000 ... Jar+Sealer Just another aside, these lids come off with the edge of a spoon, not a can opener, and can be reused! I've had this tool since 2011 and have put up a lot of dried food in jars successfully!
Bunkie, thank you for the information, and so quickly, too! We moved the drier closer to the house--rain is forecast for this afternoon and we wanted to be able to get the frames under shelter fast if needed.
I love my food saver. It's so easy. I use the jars and the bags. And no more freezer burned food. I read that food sealed in mason jars will keep 100 years. I wonder who is going to stay around long enough to find out.
Wow, a 100 years Donna?! I believe it! You're welcome mg! Just one more thing I learned last year about drying toms....when we skin them to can, save the skins and dry them. Later one can powder them and use them in homemade ketchup to thicken it...or soups and stews for thickener. I'm going to try this trick this year as I have not been able to master a 'thick' ketchup...yet!
Well, the experiment continues. First try was a failure--mold! We removed the heavier cloth and replaced it with aluminum screening; bathed the cut tomatoes in vinegar; and after the vinegar bath had dissipated, we salted the tomatoes with fine sea salt. So far, no mold, nice leathery tomatoes, and we are going to try drying a larger batch. I just love playing with food!
The aluminum screening and salting works! We now have two jars of Romas dried, and a jar of the Yellow Pear, with more on the drier. Screened tomato drier ( photo / image / picture from marlingardener's Garden ) Being cautious of my precious home-grown tomatoes, I tried out just a few to see how the new experimental covering worked. It worked! Drying Romas ( photo / image / picture from marlingardener's Garden ) So far we have learned that letting the tomatoes drain inside isn't necessary; wire screen works better than any fabric; and salting is necessary. We are using fine sea salt, but probably non-iodized salt would do just as well. At this point, I'm not experimenting any more--I'm just drying tomatoes!
This information will be very helpful, if, my tomato's ever ripen. The solar dehydrator is on hold until the missus fully recovers from surgery. I'm busier than a one legged man in a butt kicking contest!
