Dehydrating

[DonnaMarieNJ]

Oh! And here I thought they meant larva in the tomatoes, themselves, not the seeds. Shows you how little I know.

I've been on Youtube, and google, and of course, here, to gather all the info I can. Plus, of course, I've been reading the book that came with the unit.

So much to learn!

[brokenbar]

I store my product in vacuum bags squeezed to the max. I have NEVER had a bug in any of it. My finished tomatoes are "leathery" and not brittle. I sold to Chef's for years and they won't buy them crispy.

I store the vacuum sealed bags in large plastic totes. I still dry hundreds of pounds to give as gifts to family and friends. Can't ship them out of Mexico (Mexico post...don't get me started.) My Son picks them up in November and drives them back to Wyoming where he ships them out. I have commercial dehydrators so my tomatoes dry in 7 to 8 hours. It is really important to keep your slices fairly consistent so they all dry at the same rate. My varieties of tomatoes have almost no water n them and that certainly speeds up the process. I also dust them with sea salt which also aids the drying process.

[habitat_gardener]

I've dehydrated some tomato slices in the past, but found it to be messy and more unpredictable than most vegs. One time my slices got moldy (but someone may have turned off the dehydrator). My dehydrator does not have temperature controls or a fan -- just a heating element under 7 trays. I wonder if it's worth trying to dehydrate tomato slices again.

If you've successfully dehydrated tomato slices with this kind of simple dehydrator, what tips can you offer?

[ContainerTed]

I have the same type of dehydrator. I went thru a lot of "not-so-good" attempts and finally, after trial and error, settled on a few rules that worked okay for me.

I usually start mine late in the evening and let it run all night. You have to remove the seeds and the juice as best you can. Cut 1/4" to 1/2" thick slices from tomatoes with a "firm-ness" that you might select to use for a BLT. Try to dry them until they are "crunchy". Leathery or chewy will not keep at all. When selecting tomatoes, avoid any that can be called "overripe". Mushy, mealy pieces fall apart easily.

The "sweeter" the tomato you start with, the sweeter the results. I vacuum seal them and then put them in the freezer.

[KarenO]

leathery or chewy dried tomatoes will keep in good olive oil in the fridge (like those expensive sundried types you can buy) plus the oil gets a very nice tomatoey flavor for use in salad dressings add garlic or herbs too if you like keeps for months in the fridge. The majority of my dried tomatoes I freeze in a Ziploc as I prefer them leathery and agree they will not keep otherwise. You can put an amazing amount of chewy sweet dried small tomatoes in one big Ziploc. They don't stick together I find so you can take out a few at a time for whatever you need them for and return the rest to the freezer. this is how I am dealing with my excess ripe cherries right now.
KO

[matilda'skid]

Thanks for the tips. What do you do with the dried tomatoes? I bought an inexpensive dehydrator at Wal Mart a Presto. I put the dried tomato slices in the freezer also. When I tried to dry them before I used the oven and they didn't get to the crispy stage. I just ate a few at a time as a snack. Do you put any seasoning or salt on them before drying. I think a little salt would make them taste better to me.

[KarenO]

I like to just eat them as they are, I don't salt mine but maybe i'll try it. they can be used in place of sundried in any recipe. chopped up in pasta with a bit of bacon and garlic... yum , on pizza, they are great in dips or salad dressings whipped up in a blender, chopped up in cornbread or savory muffins... lots of uses for them and they have such a nice deep sweet tomato flavor. somebody on here marinated the slices in red wine before drying... hmmm
KO

[Got Worms?]

It's that time of the year, and I'm looking to purchase a dehydrator.

I want to do herbs, dry a few fruits, my hot peppers, maybe make some powders.

Anyone have any thoughts on what's out there today. I'm interested in all aspects including: initial cost, economy, efficiency/proficiency, features, size, storage; and, if it does windows, well, I'd like to know that too. Thanks for your help.
Charlie

[ScottinAtlanta]

Most people on here prefer the Excaliber, according to the many threads already written on this topic.

[dustdevil]

If you're a green person, there are plans for solar dehydrators on the web.

[Worth1]

Here you go, one of the worlds best dehydrators.
http://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=C...g.html&cad=rja

Worth

[FarmerShawn]

I have had a Nesco, and it worked quite well. But then I got my first Excalibur 9-tray. It dries stuff in almost half the time, holds more, and the square trays without the hole in the middle are just easier to deal with. I just got my second one (couldn't keep up with drying the tomatoes, and the apples were getting ready!) which I found reconditioned, at a pretty good discount. It is identical to and fully as good as the full-priced one. I recommend that as a good way to go if you can afford it and plan to do a considerable amount of dehydrating.

[habitat_gardener]

Had to chime in for the economy-minded: I got mine for $10 at a local rummage sale. It does take a couple days at least for tomatoes, but it's been going nonstop for a week or so with tomatoes, pole beans, eggplant, and summer squash. It's a basic one with 7 trays and a heat element (no fan or timer) and the trays have a hole in the middle. I've cut parchment paper to fit when I've needed to dry smaller pieces of food or sticky items.

For herbs, I line cardboard trays with a dish towel and stack them perpendicularly, so that every tray is exposed to the air. The cardboard trays are from a local store that cuts the top couple inches off the box to displays items. Anything leafy or thin gets dried this way -- cutting celery, yarrow, nettles, comfrey leaves, echinacea leaves, mints, basil (takes longer than anything else!), calendula flowers, agastache flowers, etc.

I've also seen people put dehydrators like mine in the sun if they have time to haul it in and out. It's breezy here, so there's some airflow. On warmer days, it keeps the house from getting that extra bit of heat.

[Doug9345]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Here you go, one of the worlds best dehydrators.
http://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=C...g.html&cad=rja

Worth

I'm never sure what I'm going to see when I click on one of your links, but ther're always interesting.

[Got Worms?]

Thanks, Scott, from what I've read on some of the other threads; the Excalibur seems to be the more preferred but less affordable unit. I'm still looking for more info, as even though much of what I could glean from the threads was helpful; nearly half was 6-7 yrs. old.
Having worked in manufacturing, I know that design and manufacturing practices move along at an alarming rate. The general rule is make 'em cheaper, make 'em faster.


Worth

Here you go, one of the worlds best dehydrators.
http://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=C...g.html&cad=rja

Do they make a smaller size? I don' want to become a prune, I just want to make a few.



dustdevil

If you're a green person, there are plans for solar dehydrators on the web.

I'm half green, the other half is Irish/German mix ...so, I only have one green thumb.
Anyway, the plans on, (I think) the Mother-Earth News site caught my eye a while back. I have the skills, tools, and probably even most of the materials. The thing I lack is the time. Much iron in the fire. So, I have resigned myself to purchasing one of those dirty, foot-printed, coal fired electricity-operated units.


FarmerShawn, how big are those trays (on the Excalibur) or how much can you fit on them? If you don't mind me asking.


habitat_gardener, that's a real bargain there. It's probably old and stubborn and won't give up easily (like me) run it until it croakes, then re-purpose it. hmm.

Well, as soon as I get a chance I want to do some windows shopping to see what looks good.
Charlie