Drying

[durable_now]

Which tom do you use most for drying ?

[brokenbar]

All I grow for is sun-dried market to Chef's. These are large, meaty, dry with few seeds and early or mid-season for me in Wyoming. As I soak my tomatoes in red wine prior to drying, these varieties hold up well.

Opalka
Chinese
Federle
Amish Paste
Carol Chyko
Denofrios German (these are HUGE-ripen early and have almost no seeds)
Leatha's Italian
Russo Sicilian Togeta
Big Black Heart (I received in trade, un-named-HUGE, Dry few seeds)
Sicilian Saucer
Memorial Polish Paste

[newgardener_tx]

Hi, Brokenbar,
how do you dry your tomato? Do you use a dehydrator or you do sun dry? I am thinking to do that if I get a good harvest this coming season. No body likes sauce in the family and I don't can well.

[brokenbar]

I use both electric dehydrators and solar dehydrators ("Sun-Dried" is now a generic term in the industry for "dehydrated" tomato's, a description that is not nearly as attractive as sun-dried.) I dry between 1000 and 2000 pounds per season. The solar dehydrators take much longer and, living in Wyoming, we have a lot of wind which means dust. I have to cover my solar dehydrators with layers of cheesecloth secured with bunjee cords. Certainly, if you invest in a dehydrator, you will be drying many more things than just tomatoes. I dry diced carrots and beans and corn for an "instant" soup mix.

I have a GREAT marinara sauce recipe that you can freeze instead of canning.

Brokenbar’s Marinara Sauce

5 gallons processed tomatoes (no skins, no seeds.)
6 Cloves Garlic Minced
4 Smallest Cans Tomato Paste
2 Pounds Sweet Italian Sausage
2 Pounds Ground Beef
½ Cup Red wine Vinegar
2 Pound Sliced Mushrooms (fresh or canned)
4 Large Carrots Peeled & Grated
6 Large Bell Peppers, Any Color, Seeds Removed, Diced
6 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning (or 2 Tablespoons each of fresh Basel, Oregano, Parsley)
2 Cups Sugar
¼ Cup Olive Oil
4 Tablespoons Salt
¾ Cup Lime Juice
1 cup red wine vinegar

Bring tomato sauce to boil. Lower heat and simmer until liquid is reduced by half.
Add tomato paste, stir well.

Saute sausage, ground beef. Drain off grease thoroughly. Saute onion, peppers mushrooms (if fresh mushrooms) garlic and carrots in olive oil until translucent.
Add meats and vegetables to sauce mixture. Add all spices, salt, sugar, vinegar and lime juice to tomato mixture. Simmer 20 minutes on VERY LOW HEAT (be careful…this is thick and will scorch easily.) Fill appropriate number of “2-quart volume” freezer containers or process, 90 minutes at 15 pounds in pressure canner for quarts (the time and lbs is for my area, above 4,000 feet.) THIS MUST BE PRESSURE CANNED if using jars. The meats in it make it unsafe to just hot water bath can.

The lime juice and vinegar are what keep this sauce tasting very fresh after freezing and canning. They keep the ingredients from breaking down. The carrots neutralize the acidity.

This is a robust and flavorful sauce. It is my own recipe that I have used for more than 20 years.

[Chardon91]

End of 2008 I was travelling in Switzerland for my work and I stopped at a station wherethey were selling sundried "pomodori secchi di Puglia" from a "family run business. Thet were dry and salted and the best I ever tried. They were claimed to be a special family selection. I ate them like candy while driving: healthier than candy. They were so good that I decided to check if the salted seeds would germinate and after cleaning, geting as much salt out. I was surprised to see the seeds germinate. So when sawing time came, I decided to grow some. I got plenty of tomatoes which I found perfect for drying, producing their tomatoes all at once, holding well to the plant and at the same very easy to get off the vine. lots of qualities for producing tomatoes for drying on a large scale and picked up all at once. If they were left on a tray they were getting dry almost by themselves. I have now a few second generation seeds of my "own selection" of "pomodori secchi di puglia" from salted dry tomatoes.

[veggie babe]

If you have enough to share I would love to give them a try in Texas.

Neva

[Chardon91]

Seems like Texas is the place for drying tomatoes: got 3 requests for seeds of my "pomomodori secchi di Puglia" all from Texas. vegie send me your address by PM

[tuttimato]

Brokenbar I have acquired 7 of the varieties on your list since processing is my main interest. I've dried split Principe Borghese and Black Plum. Would you describe how you cut these bigger tomatoes for efficiency of drying time. I use a 9 tray Excaliber dehydrator. Do you spray oil on your trays? Appearance isn't critical since I use them mostly in cooking but it would be nice to make a few pretty ones for gifting.

I dry a lot of onions every year and normally just run them through the slicing blade of my food processor. I also dried a lot of peppers that I sliced and julienned by hand. I'm thinking I need some kind of device to chop/dice/julienne that would work for all these and was wondering if you used something you can recommend.

[brokenbar]

tuttimato...I slice them 1/2 inch thick on my meat slicer... I need them thick enough to withstand the soaking in wine and the necessary draining, taking them out of the 5 gallon bucket, etc. You might try 1/4 inch but I think you will like them thicker, even 'tho they take longer to dry. I also dust them with herbs, sea salt and garlic powder before drying. The salt really helps speed up the drying process. And yes...I spray my trays with cooking spray (my trays are stainless steel so I probably get more sticking than you do.) I do peppers by hand too...wonder what we could use to speed it up that would not mince them too fine? I also got a smoker and smoke some of the tomatoes and peppers...not to my taste but others really seem to like them. As far as gifts...and you REALLY have to like them because olive oil IS NOT CHEAP!, I filled a quart canning jar with dried tomatoes and cover with olive oil, clove of garlic, 1/4cup red wine and some herbs. Tie a bow on it...this is what I give all my neighbors (although they KNOW somehow when I am drying tomatoes and "drop in"...) You MUST tell them to refrigerate it 'tho. They can remove it from the frig and allow the oil to re-liquefy before use. I vacuum seal the lids on with my vacuum seal jar attachment. I buy gallons of olive oil at Costco and the cheapest red wine I can find...I know some else who uses my recipe that uses "Good" white wine but she is a wine connoisseur and I frankly don't feel it matters too much. The wine soak really does add an incredible rich flavor. You will be "Mr. Popular" when you give as gifts. I also made small booklets with sun-dried tomato recipes in it. I try to find 2 or 3 new recipes each year. I am "Anti Christmas Gift Buying" and feel that Christmas was never meant to be a National Shopping Holiday! Besides, most of our family has enough money that if they want something, they have already bought it. They LOVE the sun-dried tomatos, smoked peppers and "rastas" I make for them.

[tuttimato]

Thank you for sharing all that info. I can see it now...a daily work out with the meat slicer, passatta machine, pots simmering and the dehydrator humming around the clock. I should have thought of the meat slicer since uniformity is so important. The half inch should work fine.

I'm considering a gadget called the "Progressive Onion Chopper" that's sold at Amazon and other places. It looks like it would work for peppers too. On the other hand, maybe one of those french fry cutters that comes with 2 blades. I've got to come up with something because all that hand work takes too much time. Thanks for all your help. I'm going to try your method and the marinara recipe too.

[brokenbar]

I will go look on Amazon at the one you mention. I have arthritis in my hands and boy...all that peeling and chopping aggravates it a lot. Plus, it just takes so much time. I had not considered a Mandolin...will have to look into it. Everything electric over processes, at least everything I have tried. I tried some peppers in my food processer and ended up making roasted pepper and tomato soup! (very good by the way...) and you are right...the meat slicer keeps the slices uniform so that everything dries at approximately the same rate. I save small, broken or odd pieces of dried tomaotes to put in my dehydrated soup mix, use them in my tomato bread recipe and my own jar of olive oil. I use them in a lot of recipes.

My son always says when we are drying tomatoes that it smells like an Italian Restaurant a block away! (that is probably how the neighbors "know" I am drying!) Keep me posted on your tomatoes this year...I am interested to see how the varieties I grow do in your area.

[newgardener_tx]

Brokenbar, Thanks for all the rich information and your recipe. I can already smell the flavor!
Is it possible that I can just slice the tomatoes and put them under the sizzaling 100+ degrees of Texas sunshine and dry the tomatoes? I am thinking about the tomato "raisin".

[brokenbar]

Originally Posted by newgardener_tx

Brokenbar, Thanks for all the rich information and your recipe. I can already smell the flavor!
Is it possible that I can just slice the tomatoes and put them under the sizzaling 100+ degrees of Texas sunshine and dry the tomatoes? I am thinking about the tomato "raisin".

newgardener tx...You can but you are going to have to make sure they get adequate air flow from above and below and you are going to have to keep the flys off of them.. Texas does get a lot of heat but I am assuming you get a lot of humidity also? If they take too long to dry, you will get mold or they can start to stink... If you do a Google search, there are many easy-to-build solar dehydrator plans out there for free. From very simple (using a cardboard box!) to very complex....Air flow is the most important thing, even more important than heat. And flys LOVE the sugar that is in most tomatoes.

[dustdevil]

Anyone peel the skin before drying?

[brokenbar]

Not me...I need them to hold together well as I soak them in Red WIne for 24 hours prior to drying and they have to get sliced, go into a 5 gallon bucket, get taken out of the 5 gallon bucket and then put onto trays...I do slice mine 1/2" thick. I have read other posts where some people do peel them but none were doing the 1000 to 2000 pounds I do each season. That would defeat my big, nearly seedless, dry, "easy" criteria!