Homemade Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes...

Anyone who saw our garden in its first summer can attest to our voracious tomato plants. We were a little over-zealous when we made our first plantings. 

We wanted heirloom tomatoes. Lots of them.

So we planted 4 varieties, 8 plants each.

32 total.

Needless to say, it was too many.

So what to do with all those tomatoes? We tried eating our way through them, giving them away at work, and selling them at my mother-in-law's workplace. We made eighty bucks! 

We even entered one into a homegrown heavyweight contest. It was 2.6 pounds!

But we still had alot of tomatoes, like an extra 15-20 pounds a week.

So we next turned to dehydration. Sun-dried tomatoes are so yummy!

We borrowed our neighbor's Nesco dehydrator and got to it!

First, we washed some of our beautiful tomatoes from our yard and removed all the stems and unwanted bits.

Next, we cut them into even slices. Or as best we could. The slices were just under 1 centimeter thick. 

Before placing the slices on the sheets, you should be sure to remove all of the seeds and insides.

To aid in the speed and for some more flavor, salt the slices of tomatoes before starting the dehydrator. If you are feeling adventurous, try some fresh herbs. The smell in the house was mouth-watering...

The Nesco dehydrator we borrowed has at least 5 settings for different types of food. Anywhere from meat to fruit to fresh herbs. One thing it did not come with was a timer. That can easily be worked out by buying a light timer, like you would use for Christmas lights or lamps. Eight-nine hours worked for us, but some trial and error will be needed depending on the thickness of the food.

Once done, the tomatoes can be eaten straight, cooked in stews, or bagged and placed in the freezer for several months. If you want, you can pack them in oil, maybe some garlic and herbs. This will only last about 6 weeks. They are great as gifts. 

Our neighbors even got a jar when we finally returned their dehydrator at the end of the tomato season.

Win-win for everyone!

And lots of tomatoes all winter long...