How to Dry Tomatos
Source of Recipe
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List of Ingredients
It takes about 7 pounds of fresh tomatoes to make a single pint of
dried
tomatoes. This is part of the reason they are so expensive. The best
tomato to
use in this process is the Roma (also known as a plum, pear, or
Italian) tomato,
because it contains less water and seeds. However, you can use any
tomato.
They will just take a little longer to dry.
Recipe
Dried Tomatoes (yields about 1 pint)
1) Wash carefully and wipe dry: 7 or 8 pounds of firm, ripe (preferably
Roma)
tomatoes.
2) Cut out the stem and scar and the hard portion of core lying under
it.
3) Cut the tomatoes in half, lengthwise. If the tomato is more than
about 2
inches long, cut it in quarters.
4) Scrape out all of the seeds that you can without removing the pulp.
5) Arrange the tomatoes, with the cut surface up, on non-stick cookie
sheets
(glass or porcelain dishes are OK. They will have to withstand
temperatures of
a few hundred degrees F if you are going to oven-dry the tomatoes). Do
*not*
use aluminum foil, or bare aluminum cookie sheets. The acid in the
tomatoes
will react with the metal.
6) Mix together thoroughly:
-1 tsp dried basil
-1 tsp dried oregano
-1 tsp dried thyme
-2 tsp salt.
7) Sprinkle a small amount of this mixture on each tomato. (You may
customize
this mixture to suit your own taste.)
8) Dry the tomatoes in the oven, dehydrator, or in the sun. Directions
follow
for each of these methods. However, no matter what method you choose,
be
aware that not all of the tomatoes will dry at the same rate. They do
not all have
the same amount of moisture, nor do they experience the same
temperature and
air circulation while they are drying.
9) They are done when they are very dry, but still pliable - about the
texture of a dried apricot. If dried too long, they become tough and
leathery. If
not dried long enough, they will mold and mildew, unless packed in oil.
So watch
them carefully while they dry. Try to remove them on an individual
basis,
before they become tough.
10) Here are the drying methods. There is a time listed with each
method.
This time is approximate, and can vary significantly depending on the
moisture of
the tomato. Do *not* rely on this time as more than a rough guide.
*Oven-drying (approximately 12 hours): Bake, cut side up, in 170 F oven
for
about 3 hours. Leave the oven door propped open about 3 inches to allow
moisture to escape. After 3 hours, turn the tomatoes over and press
flat with your
hand or a spatula. Continue to dry, turning the tomatoes every few
hours, and
gently pressing flatter and flatter, until tomatoes are dry.
*Dehydrator method (approximately 8 hours): Place the tomatoes, cut
side up,
directly onto the dehydrator trays. Set dehydrator temperature to about
140 F.
After 4 or 5 hours, turn the tomatoes over and press flat with your
hand or a
spatula. After a few hours, turn the tomatoes again and flatten gently.
Continue drying until done.
*Sun-drying (approximately 3 days): Dry in hot weather, with relatively
low
humidity. Place tomatoes, cut side down, in shallow wood-framed trays
with
nylon netting for the bottom of the trays. Cover trays with protective
netting (or
cheesecloth). Place in direct sun, raised from the ground on blocks or
anything else that allows air to circulate under the trays. Turn the
tomatoes over
after about 1 1/2 days, to expose the cut side to the sun. Place the
trays in a
sheltered spot after sundown, or if the weather turns bad.
11) After the tomatoes are dry, store in air-tight containers, or pack
in
oil. To pack in oil:
*Dip each tomato into a small dish of white wine vinegar. Shake off the
excess vinegar and pack them in olive oil. Make sure they are
completely immersed
in the oil.
*When the jar is full, cap it tightly and store at *cool* room
temperature
for at least a month before using. They may be stored in the
refrigerator, but
the oil will solidify at refrigerator temperatures (it quickly
reliquifies at
room temperature however).
*As tomatoes are removed from the jar, add more olive oil as necessary
to
keep the remaining tomatoes covered.
You can store oil-packed tomatoes in the pantry for over a year.
****** WARNING ********
Do *NOT* add fresh garlic cloves to oil-packed dried tomatoes, UNLESS
you
store them in the refrigerator. Garlic is a low-acid food which, when
placed in
oil, creates a low-acid anaerobic environment - the perfect growth
medium for
botulinum bacteria if the mixture is not refrigerated. Botulism
poisoning is
characterized by a very high mortality rate. Be safe and add your
garlic to the
dried tomatoes as part of the recipe for them *after* they come out of
the
oil.
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