Question, what do with these tomatoes?

[Maverick]

Alright, my brother is giving me quite a few tomatoes, and I need to so something with them quick. I have canned before, but I don't have time to go through all of that.

Can I just run them through my juicer, and freeze the juice somehow? I also, have a Vita-Mix.

Any quick ideas would be appreciated.

[Rawkinlocs]

Do you have a dehydrator? If so, you can slice them up and dry them for your own dried tomatoes to be used anywhere a recipe calls for sundried tomatoes.

[Maverick]

Rawkinlocs, yes I have Excalibur that I bought a while back, and I haven't had the chance to use it.

How do I do it?

Also, can I juice the rest and freeze it?

[Rawkinlocs]

You basically slice them in medium-sized slices and put on the mesh trays (not the teflex) and dry them until they are completely dry and not soft and moist.

You can store them in an airtight container OR...you can do it the way Rawpriestess does hers...


I make sundried tomatoes every summer with my own tomatoes, so I know what is in them.

I take either cherry tomatoes, or yellow pear, (the smaller the tastier) and rinse in water, stem, and then slice in half.

I then marinate them in olive oil, crushed garlic, basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary (no salt, as it pulls out the water of the tomatoes, and some of the flavor).

Then after 24 hours, I place them like a cup on a mesh dehydrator sheet, with a teflex sheet on the tray below to catch the drippings. (I use the drippings in a salad dressing later)

I dry them to crisp, then I place them in a jar, and cover with more olive oil and spices. then place them in the fridge.

To use, I pull out the jar, and place in a large pan in the sink, and fill with warm water, until the olive oil liquifies, then I pull out the tomatoes I choose to use, place them in a bowl, and cover with water. I do not pour off this water, I will use it in either the recipe that I will be using the tomatoes in, or I use it in a salad dressing.

It is so full of spices, and oil, and herbs, yummy, add a little vinegar, or lemon juice, and you have super yummy salad dressing.

OR, you can use the soak water to make tomatoe soup, I've done this and it is magnificent.

I'm not sure about juicing and freezing the juice, though. I've never personally done that...maybe someone else may chime in with an answer to that. But even if you dried them all, you could still reconstitute them later and blend to make a soup, juice, sauce, etc.

Some like to just eat them as a snack (ask Sweetlips about her husband picking them off the dehydrator tray! :p )

[Maverick]

Thank you for the quick replies, it's appreciated. Most of the tomatoes were splitting, so I had to do something with them tonight. I sorted the ones that need immediate attention, and I am juicing them and putting them in containers to freeze. Tomorrow when I have more time, I plan on trying the dehydrator and making my first batch of sundried tomatoes!!! :)

P.S. I couldn't resist drinking a couple of glasses of fresh tomato juice over ice. Yum!!! :)

[VeggieMel]

You can also make tomato salsa crackers in the dehydrator. These are really tasty and easy to make!!

Ingredients:

8 tomatoes
1 1/2 cups sunflower seeds (soaked overnight)
1 1/2 cups sesame seeds (soaked overnight)
4 cloves of garlic
dulse
1 TB mexican seasoning

Directions:

Quarter the tomatoes. Place half the tomatos in the Vitamix with 2 cloves of garlic. Puree. Add 1/2 of the sunflower and sesame seeds. Blend thoroughly. Pour into a bowl. Repeat the process with the second half of the ingredients. Pour into the bowl with the batter. Add 1 TB of Mexican seasoning and dulse to taste. Spoon onto dehydrator sheets to make chips. Dehydrate for about a day and a half at 105 degrees.

[twinyoga]

Make Gazpacho!

[dahgluvr]

I saw an easy recipe for making tomato crackers in the dehydrator....basically just blend them up in the vitamix and pour onto a sheet in the dehydrator. They said that you could add garlic or whatever seasonings you like as a variation, and even after you pour the tomato on the sheet, to sprinkle with sesame, etc. They said that plum tomatoes work well because they don't have a lot of liquid, but they said that regular ones would work. I'm hoping to try it tonight....get it started at least! Oh, I think they said about 14 hours in dehydrator.....

[Sweet lips]

Yes, you can puree them and freeze them. I have done so and they were fine.

[Jo-anne]

My sister had problems with her tomatoes drying in the dehydrator, she said some of them turned black.....does anyone know why that happens ?

[Maverick]

Yes, you can puree them and freeze them. I have done so and they were fine.

I hadn't thought about pureeing them, I just juiced them. Good idea. :)