good small tomatoes for drying?

loeb · September 26, 2012

I wonder if there are small tomatoes [but could be bigger too] that have some really interesting flavour after drying, and have enough dry mass to be something that I could use as snack.. like dried plums or something. Do you have experience with drying tomatoes like that? They don't have to be red.. I wonder how green/white tomatoes taste in a dry form, or a black ones with that smoky taste..

Chenango · September 26, 2012

Hi Loeb,
I know that the variety Principe Borghese is used for drying in Italy.
I had it fresh and it's very good and it's supposed to be even better dried.

Chenango

kenny_j · September 26, 2012

Loeb, I tried drying just about every variety I had growing this year, they are all good. I like to eat them as snacks, or add them to sauces or dishes for flavor. My favorites are any that are bland with little or no tartness. Drying concentrates flavor, so no tartness usually means more sweetness when dry. I take beefsteaks and slice them 1/2 to 5/8 inch thick, the book calls for 1/4, but that dries to paper thin. It can take 24 hours or more at 1/2" thick. I crank it up to high, 165 degrees, and let it rock. Some of the yellows are quite good. Jaune flammee is excellent, with some bite, almost none if you strip the gel and seeds. I made sauce with them minus gel and seeds, and it was superb.

kj

loeb · September 27, 2012

I has Principe Borghese, it's nice tomato but I prefer it raw. I was trying to dry Snow white cherry, but it turn out to be skin&seeds only. So, kenny_j you are telling that I can dry beefsteaks.. I have not thinked about that. Next year I will try to dry every tomato in my garden..

Jaunee flammee was kinda bland this year in my garden.. maybe not too god year.

FarmerShawn · September 27, 2012

Yes, I dried all tomatoes left over after market, and they are all good, and each is distinctive. Particularly great as a snack, however, are Blush, which have a distinct fruity flavor that one friend said reminded her of dried apricots, and black cherry, which just have a heavenly flavor. For those and other, similar sized fruits, I just cut in half. It can be a great way to salvage split fruits after a rain, if you get to them quickly.

Fusion_power · September 28, 2012

While all tomatoes can be dried, some hold flavor better than others. I've had good results drying Borgo Cellano and Principe Borghese. For large slicing tomatoes to dry, Costoluto Genovese works very well. Others that have interesting flavors:
Jaune Flamme
Piennolo del Vesuvio
Goose Creek
Black Krim Cherry (very sweet when dried, almost like eating raisins)

DarJones

September 26, 2012	#1
loeb Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Poland Posts: 251	good small tomatoes for drying? I wonder if there are small tomatoes [but could be bigger too] that have some really interesting flavour after drying, and have enough dry mass to be something that I could use as snack.. like dried plums or something. Do you have experience with drying tomatoes like that? They don't have to be red.. I wonder how green/white tomatoes taste in a dry form, or a black ones with that smoky taste..

September 27, 2012	#5
FarmerShawn Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Vermont Posts: 1,001	Yes, I dried all tomatoes left over after market, and they are all good, and each is distinctive. Particularly great as a snack, however, are Blush, which have a distinct fruity flavor that one friend said reminded her of dried apricots, and black cherry, which just have a heavenly flavor. For those and other, similar sized fruits, I just cut in half. It can be a great way to salvage split fruits after a rain, if you get to them quickly. __________________ "Red meat is NOT bad for you. Now blue-green meat, THAT'S bad for you!" -- Tommy Smothers

September 26, 2012	#2
Chenango Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Montreal Posts: 36	Hi Loeb, I know that the variety Principe Borghese is used for drying in Italy. I had it fresh and it's very good and it's supposed to be even better dried. Chenango

September 26, 2012	#3
kenny_j Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: holly michigan Posts: 380	Loeb, I tried drying just about every variety I had growing this year, they are all good. I like to eat them as snacks, or add them to sauces or dishes for flavor. My favorites are any that are bland with little or no tartness. Drying concentrates flavor, so no tartness usually means more sweetness when dry. I take beefsteaks and slice them 1/2 to 5/8 inch thick, the book calls for 1/4, but that dries to paper thin. It can take 24 hours or more at 1/2" thick. I crank it up to high, 165 degrees, and let it rock. Some of the yellows are quite good. Jaune flammee is excellent, with some bite, almost none if you strip the gel and seeds. I made sauce with them minus gel and seeds, and it was superb. kj

September 28, 2012	#6
Fusion_power Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Alabama Posts: 2,250	While all tomatoes can be dried, some hold flavor better than others. I've had good results drying Borgo Cellano and Principe Borghese. For large slicing tomatoes to dry, Costoluto Genovese works very well. Others that have interesting flavors: Jaune Flamme Piennolo del Vesuvio Goose Creek Black Krim Cherry (very sweet when dried, almost like eating raisins) DarJones