I roast my tomatoes in the oven then put them in quart size zip lock bags and freeze them. Here is what I do: Wash and dry tomatoes. core and cut off stem end and other end. Cut tomato in half and place cut side down in baking pan or sided cookie tray. In bowl put in olive oil, minced garlic, and some dried spices like basil, thyme and or oregano. Drizzle over tomatoes. Place in 400 degree oven for 30 to 45 minutes depending on the size of tomatoes. Take from oven and let cool in pan. Slip off skins and place in blender with a couple of the tomatoes for a little juice. Blend until smooth and return to pan with tomatoes. You can slightly blend all the tomatoes if you wish, but I only blend some because I want some chunks of tomato. Now portion the tomato mixture into zip lock bags and freeze. If I don't have enough of my own tomatoes, I buy a 25 pound box of saucing tomatoes at my local organic farm. These bags of tomatoes last me all winter for use in sauces and dishes that would use canned tomatoes.
JeanAt 01:09 AM 6/6/2011, you wrote:
hi - i have a lot of all different kinds of tomatoes and am in the process of storing them. i have tried canning, but that takes a lot of storage room. so i am trying dehydrating and sun drying. less room needed to store. what i want to end up with dried tomatoes that i can throw into sauces to spice them up.
dehydrating - i tried to slice them, and they turned out tasting good when they were just slightly moist. another 20 minutes and they are like chips and taste bad. now i find it better to quarter them. they don't get so hard. what is the appropriate consistency should they be to safely store? and which is the best way - canning jars or in plastic seal a meal.
sun drying - i am taking the variety of cherry tomatoes and cutting them in half and sun drying them. these i am putting things like olive oil with garlic and other herbs and they come out tasting very good. but does anyone have different blends to put on the tomatoes before putting them out to dry?
thanks for any help you can be. dee
