I'm going with not to dry.
After six hours in the oven on Saturday, the Baby Cakes tomatoes were not entirely dry, but there wasn't much left to them except skins. I think plum varieties of tomato would be more worthwhile, except if it takes the small Baby Cakes six hours in our oven to get not-quite-dry, I can't imagine how long it would take a big plum tomato. Not worth it.
Plus, I ended up with three pans encrusted with tomato bits and burned on juice. Fun dishes, right there.
I declare a Fail on the drying of tomatoes and will now move onto the next experiment: straight-up juicing. Let's hope it's more successful.
4 comments:
I think using a dehydrator is the best way to dry tomatoes and if you want recognizable pieces (halves) you need to use plum tomatoes. You can puree other types, pour off some of the clear liquid (save and use in cooking) and dry the thicker pulp on fruit rollup sheets (in the dehydrator).
It all depends on how you are planning on using them later. The dried puree can reconstituted into paste or sauce or juice. Slices, in pasta or sauces.
There is a Yahoo group on Preserving Foods that has alot of helpful people who do all kinds of ways to preserve foods... drying, canning, etc. Email me if you want more info. (Just a helped participant of that group)
It's probably wasteful but I'm big consumer of foil. I can't imagine how much foil I would use in the bottom of pans if I was handwashing my dishes like you.
I finally finished reading the last of The Omnivore's Dilemma last night.As if I didn't envy you before, now I want more than ever to have a little piece of land and grow my food. I may have to till up my backyard next spring. And wonder if chickens would annoy my neighbors?
Even if you are going to juice , let the juice stand and the clear liquid settle out pour it off and just can the thicker juice instead of cooking it down . Some folks I know add water to their juice before canning, never understood that. As Kay said use it in the clear liquid in cooking (veg broth style). Beth
word verification 'ivinaing'
green vine that grows over your awnings
I do like juicing the tomatoes - I canned a bunch of quarts of it last year and then made soups all winter which were, of course, TASTY from all the homegrown tomato goodness.
Drying, however? No interest. Mostly because I don't know how I'd properly can them in oil or if that's even possible without special equipment aside from a hot water canner which obviously won't work.
I'm conflicted.
Anyway - make juice!
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