Sun dried tomatoes

[gata montes]

Ways to put all the excess tomatoes that we grow to good use, always seems to be a popular topic, so I'm hoping that someone will be able to help me out with how to sun dry tomatoes.
My absolute favorites are the sun dried ones, and am told that it is very easy to do.

People all around where I live, do this every year, with every type of metal container, from rusty dishes to hub caps and even old paint tin lids, dotted around gardens, on low level roofs and porches, all laden with tomatoes left to ripen in the sun,and be sat on by all types of flying insects, sniffed and licked by all kinds of animals and sprayed by passing tomcats, after which they are placed in olive oil and stored in a jar. Many of which land up in my home, much as I appreciate the sentiment of these gifts, knowing the process these tomatoes go through, have not as yet ever been tempted to eat any.

Surely there has to be a better way of doing it than this.

I really would like to be able to sun dry my own tomatoes, does anyone know how its done?

 

[zigs]

I did some a couple of years ago.



Quartered them, think I might have started to dry them in a very low oven, but then hit on the idea of car drying them, so put them in a tray on the dashboard. Gets really hot in a car when the suns on it, plus it kept the flies off them.

 

[gata montes]

It really is that simple then. You literally just cut them up, put them in the sun to dry and when dry, pop them in jar with olive oil to preserve them !

I do however, have a few questions that you may be able to help me with.

Can the container, yours by the way, looks way more hygienic than the ones around here, be of any type of material or does it have to be metal or enamel ?
Once you've cut the tomatoes up, do you need to remove the seeds and dry some of the juice off ?
Do you think it would affect the drying process, if I placed a sheet of fly screen or muslin over the container, to keep the bugs off ?
How long should I allow for the drying process ? The days here are still quite long and the sun still has a good deal of strength to it.
How do I would know when they were ready to be stored, in other words, can you under or over dry them ?

 

[zigs]

Looking back, it probably would have been a better idea to have removed the seeds but they don't appear to do that with the commercially produced ones.

I started them off on a metal oven tray before moving them to the plastic tub, don't think it makes much difference as to what they are on.

Can't remember how long they took to dry, couple of weeks probably, you still want them supple, not dried to a crisp.

I've just quartered a tomato & scooped the seeds out, put one half in salt overnight, the other i'm leaving a a control.

I'll see how long each takes to dry & if there's any advantage in salting them

The Sun's loosing its power up here now though, so might take a while.

 

[zigs]

Just had a thought, made a solar dryer at my last place, an insulated box open on one side that stood against a south facing window.

Had slots at the top and bottom for air flow, could have easily put strips of muslin across those to keep flies out.

 

[claudine]

Wow, I've never eaten dried tomatoes! It sounds really interesting. Do they taste like fresh ones? Can I eat them as a snack? I'm i a mood for experiments, so I'll definitely try to dry some tomatoes soon.
These in the picture that Zigs posted look delicious

 

[zigs]

They taste nicer than fresh ones Claudine, it concentrates the flavour, you can eat them as a snack, bit chewy. Most supermarkets sell them, but they're not cheap, better to make your own.

After salting overnight, the salted tomato is visibly smaller than the unsalted one.

 

[gata montes]

They taste nicer than fresh ones Claudine, it concentrates the flavour, you can eat them as a snack, bit chewy. Most supermarkets sell them, but they're not cheap, better to make your own.

After salting overnight, the salted tomato is visibly smaller than the unsalted one.

Spooky, your post arrived, just as I was going to ask about your salting experiment, and so far, have to say it doesn't sound too promising, but at least we've learnt something, and that is, don't put anything in salt overnight, as it will be visibly smaller the next day
Many thanks for the tips by the way, mine will be basking in the sun very shortly, unsalted of course
Like the sound of the solar dryer, are they easy to make ?

Wow, I've never eaten dried tomatoes! It sounds really interesting. Do they taste like fresh ones? Can I eat them as a snack? I'm i a mood for experiments, so I'll definitely try to dry some tomatoes soon.
These in the picture that Zigs posted look delicious

You have no idea what you are missing Claudine, but be careful, as just one taste, can lead to a serious addiction problem, and as Zigs said they are expensive, so feeding the addiction, can be a costly affair.
Zigs is right, they are much tastier than fresh ones, for me, they are my favorite, favorite, favorite tomatoes, in fact eating them is pure tomato heaven.
I would eat them everyday if I could, in every way possible, I eat them as a snack, in salads, particularly potato or pasta based ones, pasta sauces, on bread sticks drizzled with ............ have to stop this here, beginning to sound like I'm on a cookery forum


Am seriously hoping that mine will work, but think I might have to have a few attempts, in order to get the drying process just right.

 

[zigs]

Shrinking is a good thing, it means the water is being drawn out. I've put one quarter in some more salt. Think the salted ones will be dry far quicker than the unsalted.

I do the same with courgettes.

 

[zigs]

Missed that bit, yep, didn't take long to make the dryer. I had poles in mine for drying apple rings, but you could use mesh for tomatoes.

 

[gata montes]

Shrinking is a good thing, it means the water is being drawn out. I've put one quarter in some more salt. Think the salted ones will be dry far quicker than the unsalted.

I do the same with courgettes.

Didn't realize it was a good thing, must make them much smaller though, and won't it make them taste very salty ? Think I shall wait a few days longer before I do mine, so that I can see how your experiment progresses, as I may have to reconsider salting mine

Like the sound of dried courgettes, never had them before, do they taste as good as they sound ? Is it just the same process and can they also be stored in olive oil ?

 

[zigs]

Either the salt makes them smaller or the sun will, lot of water in a tomato.

It will make them salty, you either soak them before use or lob them in a stew and don't add any more salt,

Not thought about putting them in olive oil, just storing in a jar.

 

[gata montes]

God I'm learning a lot today

Thanks for the solar dryer info, am thinking something like that would be very useful here, especially with all these things I'm going to drying.
Thought they might taste a bit salty, which is something I'm not very keen on, but in a sauce or stew as you mention, would probably not notice the taste so much.
Only mentioned the olive oil, because here, we use it for absolutely everything we want to preserve, particularly peppers, olives, capers, tomatoes and aubergines - you've just given me a thought for the courgettes, could have ready made jars of antipasto or ratatouille by mixing the tomatoes and courgettes with the aubergines and peppers.

Just a moment ago was talking to a neighbor about the sun drying process, they said that instead of salt, some use rice in just the same way, so maybe I shall have to experiment by doing some with salt, some with rice and some without.
Have you heard of this before Zigs ?

 

[zigs]

I have heard of it but not tried it, don't like rice much so don't have it in the house.

There are lots of plans for building solar dryers on line, unfortunately most of them are on other forums.

 

[claudine]

Gata montes, Zigs, thank you for your responses it's decided then, I'm going to make some dried tomatoes! Tomato heaven sounds like something perfect for me.
Some time ago I ate dried strawberries and I loved them! I hope that tomatoes will be as delicious