Sun dried tomatoes in bulk?

[faith4u]

Is there such a thing? Where do you buy yours? I would like just dried tomatoes without oil and without soaking in oil if possible.

Thanks

[RawFoodieMom]

I have wondered this as well. I have only been able to find them once, in the local HFS, and it was in a teeny tiny little baggie in their very small produce shelf, and was expensive. I think there was maybe 1 tomato in it (4 or 5 little slices). To top it off the little baggie advised it contained sulphites or something, so it wasn't something I would have bought anyway. :(

I've been making sun-dried tomatoes myself by marinating and dehydrating, RP advised how in a thread some months ago, and they turn out great. But I'm still not very organized, and I never seem to have any when I actually need them. :D

Hopefully some others who have been able to buy them can tell us where they get them, and where in the store they are, and how they're packaged, and anything else about being able to actually buy them. :p

[juliebove]

I think it depends on where you live. If you live in an area heavily populated with Italians, you'll find them. Whether or not they would be considered raw is another matter.

[Sheryl]

I buy organic tomatoes by the box every few months, slice them thin, and dehydrate in my Excalibur. The dried tomatoes come out perfectly red and gorgeous. WAYYY better than any commercial ones I have ever found even in bulk, and at less than 10% of the price. Give it a try!

Sheryl

[life-in-me]

I get my sun-dried tomatoes from Sun Organic Farm.

[rawpriestess]

we grow our own tomatoes, garlic, oregano, basil, thyme,etc. so we do our own, the only part that isn't from our gardens is the olive oil, we buy that from living tree, we make about 20 larege jars every year, they are sooooooo yummy.

[ephmeralgrl]

faith4u-
I see that you are in Oregon, if you are near Portland New Seasons Market sells them in bulk. Hope this helps-
epgrl

[sport]

I am beginning to think that there is no such thing.
If a healty untreated sun dried tomato was available then the raw food sites online would have them but they do not.
I have searched for them in lots of places including Italy and Florida and have not found any.
It is hard to even find ones that are vegan let alone raw.

[Lay-Lay]

I grow my own and dry them.

[bullies3]

we grow our own tomatoes, garlic, oregano, basil, thyme,etc. so we do our own, the only part that isn't from our gardens is the olive oil, we buy that from living tree, we make about 20 larege jars every year, they are sooooooo yummy.


Rp, how long do the tomatoes last in the jars? Or I guess I should say how do you make them last in the jars. Do you have a recipe? :D Thanks Sandy

[RawFoodieMom]

Here is one of the threads with RP's recipe:

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9128&highlight=sundried+tomatoes

:)

[faith4u]

I buy organic tomatoes by the box every few months, slice them thin, and dehydrate in my Excalibur. The dried tomatoes come out perfectly red and gorgeous. WAYYY better than any commercial ones I have ever found even in bulk, and at less than 10% of the price. Give it a try!

Sheryl

Sheryl,

That is what I want to start doing.

Do you de-seed them and do mainly the outer part or do you dehydrate the whole thing? How thin do you slice yours? Everytime that I have seen them to buy they are big pieces.

Thanks

[faith4u]

faith4u-
I see that you are in Oregon, if you are near Portland New Seasons Market sells them in bulk. Hope this helps-
epgrl

Nope, I am on the other side of the mountains!!

Thanks though
:)

[CAdreamer]

Faith4U,

Which side of what mountains in Oregon....Cascades or Coast ? We're in Bend.

[CAdreamer]

When I am in CA, I buy them in bulk at Winco....very ggod and very reasonably priced. There are Winco's in other areas, including Oregon, where I now live, but just not here in Bend.

[Sheryl]

In the past I have sliced each tomato into about 6-8 slices, seeds and all, and dehydrated on the mesh sheets of my Excalibur 9 tray. Today to speed things up I used my new food processor, and it worked great to slice the tomatoes. The force of the blade though deseeded them, and I was left with cups of tomato juice with seeds to drink (quite yummy).

The great thing about using the slicing attachment on my food processor is that I processed HALF A BOX of tomatoes in less than 10 minutes and had them all in the dehydrator in that same time. Usually it would take 4x as long slicing my hand.

I slice them thin so they dry faster, and I can make sure they are 100% dry with no moisture pockets. I let them cool then stick in sealed jars in the cupboard. They last a long time... but I have to say I have never had them for more than a couple of months before they are all eaten!!!

Cheers,
Sheryl

[RawFoodieMom]

I slice them thin so they dry faster, and I can make sure they are 100% dry with no moisture pockets. I let them cool then stick in sealed jars in the cupboard. They last a long time... but I have to say I have never had them for more than a couple of months before they are all eaten!!!

Do you cover them in oil or anything or do they stay good for a couple of months in the cupboard in the airtight jars on their own? That's cool if they do. I always put mine in the fridge, afraid they'll go bad if I don't. But since I've purged a lot of SAD food, I'm gaining cupboard space. :D

If you use the dried tomatoes in recipes that call for sundried tomatoes, do you add spices to the recipe?

Sorry for all the questions. But I can't find dried or sundried tomatoes around here so I have to rely on making my own. :)

[Sheryl]

When foods are dehydrated until crispy they will last well in the cupboard, in an airtight jar. There's no need to cover in oil unless you prefer them that way!

I use them where ever sun dried tomatoes are called for; the flavour is much better too since they still look and taste like tomatoes. I made one lasagne recipe recently with regular almost black store bought dried tomatoes and it really changed the recipe for the worse... yuck!

Cheers,
Sheryl

[RawFoodieMom]

Cool, thanks Sheryl! :)

[faith4u]

Faith4U,

Which side of what mountains in Oregon....Cascades or Coast ? We're in Bend.

Oh my goodness, I am in Redmond!!

I am actually starting to teach some raw classes here this week or next.