[Willow_Warren]

Hi,

I was looking through my preserving book and there was one "recipe" on oven drying  tomatoes.

It said to dry them at the ovens lowest temperature for 8 hours (with a wooden spoon in the door to keep it a little ajar), but this was for full size tomatoes.  Has anyone done this for cherry toms (I have more of these spare!), I guess they wouldn't take as long but I don't know how to tell if they were done or not!?

Haven't decided if I will go ahead as although I have more cherry tomatoes than I can eat I'm not sure I've enough to warrent having the oven on for that long (I would be able to hear the electric meter clicking around!!!)

Any experience gratefully received.

Thanks

Hannah

[Beetroot Queen]

I did mine last year overnight, they looked great and four days later we had signs of mould  would like to try again but like you not sure when they are ready. I did try in the dehydrator but they went for ages and I got bored in the end and gave up

[Mrs Bee]

I would start them in the morning and check them half way through. I stop when mine are very dry and leathery.

You could dry them until sunblush stage and then pot them in oil or oil and vinegar.
They don't last as long and you need to keep them in the fridge but they are really tasty.

Are you cutting them in half or doing them whole?

I have just done a jar of dried tomatoes in fennel seed oil  with capers.

[Willow_Warren]

I was going to do then I'm halves and pack them in oil after, will see if I give it a go or not and let you know the results

H

[lordthanatos]

ive just done a whole batch of these. It works but you need to keep and eye on them as they go from very moist to burnt very quick.

I cut mine in half, give good salting and put on pizza trays in middle of the oven. I keep the door closed and put it on gas mark 1/2 and check them every 45 minutes.

I find keeping door open drys them out to quick. They should have some "mushyness" to them

I then freeze these in bags. Great in cooking and sandwichs

[mumofstig]

If they have

They should have some "mushyness" to them

If they have mushiness then they aren't fully dried, so would need freezing. You can store them for a little while in oil in the fridge, when they're called Sunblush

Proper dried tomatoes are really dry and store in a jar on the shelf until soaked - like porcini mushrooms.

Sunblush Recipe and explanation here
http://culinarytravels.co.uk/2012/06/20/sunblush-tomatoes/

[jay001]

great link you put up there m.o.s.     just waiting for ours to all ripen now and will be using that method . . thankyou 

[Willow_Warren]

I had mine drying in the oven for about 5 hours on Sunday.   I had the temp a bit lower than that suggested in the recipe linked above.  They weren't totally dry (but did taste quite nice), I decided rather than to pack them in oil I put them in the freezer, I can use them for sauces/pizza whenever I like.

I did fine that my plum (I think a variety called roscana) dried better than my other cherry tomatoes which were a mixture of sungold and tumbling tom.

Hannah