Time to Dry Tomatoes

There’s no question that it’s been a cold summer this year, and not the best season for heat-loving crops like tomatoes.

This year I planted Japanese Black Trifele tomatoes, and this cold-tolerant plant is actually producing tomatoes that are beginning to ripen. We’re eating them fresh but there are enough that I have been drying them as well.

To dry tomatoes you either need an oven that goes as low as 100 degrees or you need a food dehydrator.  By the time fruit begins to ripen around here, the days are cool enough that it doesn’t really work to do sun-dried fruit.

Here are directions on how to dry tomatoes in the Northwest:

Harvest your tomatoes and let them sit until fully ripe.

Next slice them into quarter inch slices and arrange on dryer racks.  Cherry tomatoes can be cut in half.  Dry for six to eight hours then pull off dried slices and rotate racks.  Usually drying another couple of hours will be enough.  It’s important that the tomatoes be quite dry or they will get moldy.

Once the tomatoes are dry you can put them in ziplock bags or in mason jars.  Store them in a cool place and check them periodically to make sure they are still good.  Dried tomatoes can be used in many dishes to provide a nice tangy zing to dishes.

Related posts:

1. Canning Tomatoes
2. Making Applesauce
3. Life Isn’t Always a Bowl of Cherry Preserves

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