"Sun Dried" Tomatoes

In our humid climate, I wouldn't even attempt to actually "sun" dry tomatoes, but I am blessed to have a nice dehydrator.  This can also be done in your oven. I will explain that shortly.  Above you see about 10 pounds of Roma tomatoes that I've washed and drained.

Cut each tomato into quarters.  Now, look, right to left here.  The 1st bit is just what they look like after cutting.  #2 has had the little greenish hard part cut off, and for #3,  I quickly scooped out the seeds with my thumb.  Do that to all of your tomatoes.

 Here is what they looked like after I prepared them this way:

Next, I started laying them out on the dehydrator trays, that are covered with the drying sheets that come with the dehydrator.  It is important to lay them with cut sides UP:

The next addition is minced fresh garlic.  Do you remember how I suggested you can peel it?  It makes it very easy.  This picture does not show how much garlic I used, but I believe it came to about 2 large cloves for each tray, and there were 5 trays altogether.  So, peel and mince the garlic!

The garlic was then sprinkled over the trays of tomatoes, and I also sprinkled them with dried oregano (fresh would be lovely, but I didn't have enough), sea salt, just a little freshly ground black pepper and a tiny drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

In my dehydrator, set at 135 F, it took about 15 hours to get them sort of leathery.  You may also lay them on trays in your oven, set at 250 F.  If you do this, put some little object (of the non-meltable variety) in a corner of the oven door to hold it open a little bit so the moisture can escape.  I do not know how long it will take in the oven, but probably a lot less than in a dehydrator.  When they are ready, they will look like this!

I packed them into sterilized jars:

The yield is 1.5 quarts.  Lastly, they have been covered with extra-virgin olive oil, covered with tight lids and will be stored in the refrigerator.

You can easily do this with just a few tomatoes or a great many!  If you live in a dry climate, just set your trays out in the sun, covered with cheesecloth to keep bugs and things out of there.

Sun-dried tomatoes are very rich in flavor and make a wonderful addition to pizza, salads, sandwiches, sauces, cheese balls... Be sure to use the olive oil as well.  It will be infused with delicious flavor.  Just pour it off as you use the tomatoes.  Enjoy this wonderful, economical, nutritious treat!

This post is linked with Traditional Tuesday!