Sun dried tomatoes from scratch

[VeryBerry]

Does evyone know how to make sundried tomatoes from scratch?
Do you just cut them & put them in the dehydrator? How big do you have to cut them? How long do they take to dehydrate?

I love sundried tomatoes, I would like to make some myself and preserve for the winter.

Love~
VeryBerry :)

[RawFoodieMom]

Okay, I'm sorry but I don't have an answer for you, but I hope you don't mind my jumping in with a dumb newbie question. ;) I've never used sundried tomatoes before, where do you find them in the store? Are they loose in the produce section or do you buy them bottled? :o

[rawpriestess]

Sundried tomatoe recipe

Take as many big fat red, yellow, or orange juicy tomatoes as you like

If using cherry tomaties, cut in half, if using any others, cut into 1/2" slices

Place in a shallow pan or bowl

Mix together
for 4 cups tomatoes
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves crushed galic
1 T basil leaves minced
1 T oregano leaves minced
1 tsp rosemary leaves minced
1 tsp thyme leaves minced.

sprinkle this over the tomatoes, and cover, then place on the counter and give them a toss to recover them every couple of hours.

Then place on a teflex sheet on top of a mesh dehydrator screen in the dehydrator cut side up (if cherry tomatoes) and deydrate until semi dry, then flip over onto a mesh screen and continue dehydrating to desired consistancy, remove teflex sheet.

I like mine crispy but other people like them chewy.

Place them in a glass jar, and cover with olive oil and herbs and garlic if you like. Refridgerate, as long as the tomatoes are UNDER the olive oil, they will last a long time.

As far as where you buy them, I know the ones in the store are dehydrated at much too high a temp, and are not raw, and also have sulfites in them, don't know if anyone sells them actually raw.

[VeryBerry]

Thanks RP.
I will be making them next weekend. I will let you know how they turn out.
Also what are teflex sheets and where do I get them?

[rawpriestess]

Teflex sheets are a flat, kind of brownish looking coated material about $10.00 each that fit into your dehydrator, Their purpose is to keep super runny things, from sliming up your dehydrator, and slipping through thr mesh screens.

You can also use parchment paper, or wax paper, much cheaper.

[Mysticat]

I just made some a couple of days ago...I cut the tomatoes a little less than a quarter inch thick and placed them in the dehydrator overnight ( it was probably about 12 hours by the time I took them out) They came out delicious! I did't use any oil or seasonings on them, I'm trying to cut down on my use of oils in recipes. Good luck!

[rawpriestess]

Hi, just to be clear.

Dried tomatoes are tomatoes that have been dehydrated
Sun-Dried tomatoes are tomatoes that have been dehydrated with olive oil and herbs.

Kind of like dried apricots
or honey dried apricots

or hamburger
compared to meatloaf

one is simply the object
the other has spices and seasonings.

[tvillemom]

Can you just dehydrate tomatoes and store them without the oil? How do you store them? I bought some that were supposed to be sun-dried, but they are packaged dry, and I have them stored in the cabinet....I would like to make some that way....
Wendi

[rawpriestess]

Yes, you certainly can simply dry tomatoes, without oil or herbs, but they are not sundried tomatoes, they are just dried tomatoes.

Which are fine and I make these too. as long as you dry to crisp, you can simply place in a plastic bag I use ziplock freezer bags, doubled. But, you can only keep them a few months, if you place them in olive oil, and put in the fridge, they will last for years.

I personally use both, for different purposes in recipes.

[tvillemom]

Thanks RP....could you give some suggestions of what you use the different types for? I hate to take up your time.....
Wendi

[rawpriestess]

I use sundreid tomatoes for spahetti and pizza sauces,

I use dried tomatoes for tomatoes in soups and soup bases, mostly.

[tvillemom]

Thanks...makes sense! All the extra spices for sauces! DUH!
Wendi

[RawFoodieMom]

rawpriestess, if you have to cover them all in olive oil to store in the jar, that's a lot of olive oil, isn't it? Can you re-use the olive oil after you use up the tomatoes? Or no? Do you usually add spices and garlic, or just the olive oil?

[rawpriestess]

YES, YES AND YES.

It is alot of olive oil, I've been using the same jars of olive oil with garlic and herbs in it at least 6 years, maybe longer.

When I want some sun dried tomatoes, I take a pan place the jar with the lid still on, in the pan, and place the pan in the sink, and fill with warm tap water, then I keep checking the water and keep warming it up with the tap until the olive oil in the jar is liquid, then I take the jar out of the pan, place on a counter, dry it off, open it, and take out how many sun dried tomatoes I want, place the in the recipe or soak them to reconstitute, then I use that reconstitution water in the recipe instead of whatever liquid the recipe calls for, if I can't use the water, I use it in a soup base, or freeze it in a baggy until I need it, tons of herbs and flavor in the water.

but do know that when I pack the jar with sun dried tomatoes, I dry them to crispy, and really pack them in tight, then cover with olive oil.

It helps to use a tall thin jar, or even a tall fat jar. I make about 20 jars each summer, and they are always gone by spring. we love them

[RawFoodieMom]

Thanks! You're awesome. :) Wow, 20 jars that's a lot. Must be great to have those all done up and ready to go. You don't have to keep them in the fridge?

[rawpriestess]

YES, you MUST keep them in the fridge. Takes up alot of room, but what else is in there, when you are raw?

[RawFoodieMom]

True... :) There is a lot less needed in that fridge.

One of the books I had said to keep nuts and seeds in the fridge to keep then longer, do you do this?

What fruits and veggies do you keep in the fridge? Obviously bananas don't go in there. But doesn't other fruits and veggies keep better if they're refridgerated?