Making your own sun-dried tomatoes is very simple and certainly is much less expensive than purchasing them at the grocery store.
Many enjoy eating them as a snack or with pasta, you'll enjoy using sun-dried tomatoes with many other foods, including vegetables, meats, and breads.
I will use them in some of my next recipes, but before that let me show you how to make your sun dried tomatoes at home.
Simply slice tomatoes in half, place on a raised screen,leaving enough place between the pieces for the air to circulate. Lightly sprinkle with salt,
pepper, oregano, basil, or other optional herbs, and place in the hot sun until dry.
Depending on your weather conditions, this could take anywhere
from four days to two weeks. You'll want to cover them with a cheesecloth, raised so it does not touch the tomatoes. You will also need to bring them in during the night.
You can bake them, place tomatoes in a single layer on a cookie sheet, and set in the oven at 400 F, turn them occasionally. In the oven about 400 F, they will need 6 hours to dry, don't forget
to keep your eye on them.
Baking them faster and at higher temperature, will ruin the consistency and the flavor.
During the drying process, tomatoes will shrink to about 1/4 of
their original size.
The end product must be perfectly dry but not crispy, with no inner moisture in order to avoid bacteria growth.
Place dried tomatoes in a sealable food storage bag. Squeeze out air and seal.
Place bags in the freezer, they should keep for 6-12 months.
You can also store sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, put the dried
tomatoes in a clean jar, add olive oil, rosemary, garlic cloves, cover with lid.
They can be stored at room temperature in a cool, dark place in the kitchen cabinets. They will keep well for about 1 year.
Make sure that those left in the jar are completely covered with
oil.
The flavor of sun-dried tomatoes is quite intense,
you only need to use a little bit.
When the tomatoes are gone, you still can use the oil that they were in for many recipes that ask for olive oil, it will add a great flavor to any
dish.
Making sun-dried tomatoes is very easy. The most difficult part is
waiting for them to dry.
