Oven Dried Tomatoes

Wondering what to do with all those cherry tomatoes bursting from the vine in such abundance that painful acid-crack mouth is now forcing you to slow it down a bit?  Try drying them!!!  I, Mama Lanette, am an absolute FREAK with anything involving the beloved tomato, be it fresh, canned, salsified, or dried.  Over the past few years, I've learned how to dry my own rather than paying the exorbitant prices in the grocery store, and I shan't ever go without dried tomatoes again!  *insert maniacal laugh*  The process is extremely simple, and although it does involve a lengthy amount of time, 12 hours or more in the oven, the prep itself is no more than a half hour or so.  The drying process can easily be done overnight, on a  Saturday or Sunday when the oven is not needed for other items, or in the oven during the day while everybody is at school and work, which is ideal if you live in a house that is NOT in constant fear of something exploding, crumbling, or generally falling apart.

Now, what about those food dehydrators, you ask?  NOISY!!! HARD TO CLEAN!!!  Have I mentioned the lack of dishwasher in my home?   I have a beautiful dehydrator purchased for me by the S.O.B., as he once had visions of fruit leather and dried bananas dancing in his head.   Yes, it is a convenient appliance, but if I am at home for 12 hours drying my tomatoes, I do NOT want to listen to a dehydrator fan kicking on and off every hour or so.  I live in a house that contains two human occupants, one canine occupant, my makeup, and my clothing, and nothing else.  Bitch, please, I will cut you if you try to remove my can of Kenra hairspray or my special stash of body shapers from this residence to make room for something as necessary as a first-aid kid, and I am NOT making room for that noisy ass dehydrator.  There is not one square foot of available space for those rich-people things like a “let me stick that dehydrator in the spare room so the constant whirring doesn't make you want to stab someone” kind of room, an “oh, let me run down to the deep freeze and grab that zucchini  bread for you” sort of basement, or “oh, you just stay right there, sweetie, I’ll pop right down to my canning fridge and grab you those jars of refrigerator pickles and pickled herring you love so much, dontchaknow” .  Noooo sirree!!  This is a house of very careful maneuvering and extremely critical organization, and the tiniest thing can cause the entire ecosystem to collapse and/or implode in a mushroom cloud of tasty delights.   With that being said, I guess I am not a fan of food dehydrators per se’.  So, check out these three simple steps that will supply you with an entire fall, winter, spring, and first half of summer of delicious dried tomatoes that you will use in dips, sauces, marinades/dressings, etc. all year round. 

Oven Dried Tomatoes

Pick cherry tomatoes and wash (discarding any stems or leaves). Dry as thoroughly as possible, as every drop of water will increase the drying time.

 Cut tomatoes in half and place cut-side up on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil.  (This only cuts down on cleaning time, so is optional…I just hate doing dishes and have found every trick in the book to reduce the amount of kitchen items that require washing)

 Place in a preheated 170 degree oven for 10-14 hours, depending on size of tomatoes used.  The bigger the tomato, the longer the drying time.  The tomatoes should be raisin-like in consistency when done.  

Once the tomatoes are dried and completely cooled, you have a few options for storage:

 Place tomatoes in a freezer bag and store in freezer (lasts for the year up until next drying if double wrapped).  THIS IS MY PREFERRED METHOD, but that’s just personal, I guess.
 Store in a glass jar with olive oil, use within 2 weeks.  Best kept in refrigerator to prolong freshness.  For extra deliciousness, add a minced clove of garlic to the mix.
 Place in an air tight container and store in refrigerator.  I don’t recommend this option unless using in the next couple days, as I have had fuzzy surprises awaiting me when storing in this method.