This time of year is very busy for me. Produce from the garden is in abundance. One vegetable that has been quite prolific this year is tomatoes. When you get a lot, you have to be creative and try new things or at least that’s how I feel about it.I have The Busy Person’s Guide to Preserving Food by Janet Chadwick, which has provided some inspiration, like this tomato recipe and I use quite a few other recipes in this book for freezing or water bath canning. I have not ventured into using a pressure cooker yet.
As you can see from the first image, I am using my dehydrator because it can be done faster than sun drying and I have a more controlled environment for humidity and temperature.
If you own a dehydrator, this is easy to prepare or do in oven:
- Wash tomatoes, cut out cores and slice 1/8″ thick.
- Dry in a dehydrator at 120 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-10 hours, then turn slice and dry for another 6-8 hours, until crisp. (My trays are vented so I have not been turning the slices).
- I have not done this method, but you can dry in a conventional oven at 120 degree Fahrenheit for 18-24 hours, until crisp, turning slices and rotating trays once or twice. Or you can dry in the sun for 1-2 days, until brittle, taking trays in at night.
- Then pour boiling water over dried tomato slices to partially rehydrate.
- Drain
- Pack in clean jars and cover with grapeseed oil or extra virgin olive oil.
- Add a spring of basil or a clove of garlic, if desired.
Store in a cool place and use within a few months. As long as the tomatoes are completely covered with oil, they will not mold. When tomatoes are gone, use the oil for cooking and salad dressings. I like even adding the tomatoes to homemade bread recipes for added flavor.
Mmm… sun dried tomatoes are my favorite. I really like adding them in pasta and salads. The taste is unbelievable!