How to Make Easy Sun Dried Tomatoes
Barbara Kingsolver, in her paean to the home garden "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle," describes her August kitchen as overflowing with ripe tomatoes. To keep up with the ever-growing bounty, she runs her oven and food dehydrator constantly, turning juicy fresh tomatoes into flavorful and storage-friendly dried tomatoes. The easiest way to make sun-dried tomatoes does not involve the sun. Instead, make dried tomatoes that will look and taste exactly like sun-dried tomatoes in your oven or food dehydrator. You can also dry tomatoes in the sun, but it's a risky proposition that only works well in hot, dry climates. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Cookie sheets
- Cooling racks
- Seasonings
- Food dehydrator
- Drying racks
- Cheesecloth
Instructions
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Oven Drying
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Cut the stems from your tomatoes and quarter them. For extra flavor, toss the quartered tomatoes with a bit of extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and chopped fresh herbs, such as basil or thyme.
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Spread your tomatoes in a single layer on cookie sheets, or on cooling racks placed on top of cookie sheets. Cooling racks will obviate the need to turn your tomatoes as they dry, but are not necessary. For easy cleanup, line your cookie sheets with parchment paper.
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3
Heat your oven to 150 degrees Fahrenheit, or to its lowest setting. Set sheets of tomatoes in the oven and close the door. If you do not have a convection oven, rotate the sheets every few hours, and if you aren't using cooling racks, flip the tomatoes on the same schedule. Your tomatoes are done when they are dry to the touch but still flexible, like fruit leather. Depending on the size and juiciness of the tomatoes and heat and humidity of the oven, drying will take anywhere from 10 to 20 hours.
Food Dehydrator Drying
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Stem and quarter tomatoes, season them and spread them in single layers on the trays of your food dehydrator. Place trays in the dehydrator and turn it to the vegetables setting, 125 to 135 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Check your tomatoes every several hours at first, and then more often as they become dry. Remove them when they are leathery, flexible and dry to the touch.
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Instead of quartering the tomatoes, slice them very thin, season them and spread in a single layer on your dehydrator trays. Dry the tomatoes past the point of leathery flexibility until they are crisp. Use these crunchy, potato-chip-like tomatoes as elegant garnishes for salads or soups, or set them out as part of an antipasto platter.
Sun Drying
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Core, quarter and season your tomatoes, and lay them out on drying trays that allow air circulation to all surfaces of the tomatoes. Cover tomatoes with cheesecloth to protect them from insects. During a stretch of hot, dry sunny weather, place tomatoes in direct sunlight.
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Leave tomatoes in the sun until they are leathery and dry to the touch. Depending on weather, this could take as little as four days or as long as two weeks. If dew collects at night, bring the tomatoes inside. If you notice any signs of mold or spoilage, discard the tomatoes. This method will work only in very hot, dry climates.
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To speed the process, dry your tomatoes in a hot car. PickYourOwn recommends setting the cheesecloth-covered trays on your car's dashboard, rolling up the windows, and parking in a completely sunny spot. Start in the morning, and bring your tomatoes in for the evening if they aren't dry by sunset. This method may take more than one day.
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Tips & Warnings
Store your finished tomatoes in plastic zip-seal bags in the refrigerator, and consume them within a couple weeks.
Carefully wash your tomatoes before preparing them, to prevent food-borne illness.
Exercise extra caution when drying tomatoes in the sun. Since the process is lengthy, tomatoes require frequent inspection to ensure that microorganisms or insects have not contaminated them.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Comstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images
