This past week have been quit nice here in Montreal… The birds were singing, the sun was shining and my cherry tomato plant have been producing juice cherry tomatoes like crazy!! I’ve harvested so many, this week only, that after numerous salads and others tasty recipes, I decided that it was the time to find another way to preserve these tasty jewels by making a few batches of homemade sun dried tomatoes.
The concept is really simple and it’s almost not worth calling this a “recipe” but if you never made or wonder a way to make your own sun dried tomatoes, here’s one! There is obviously other ways to make these little pieces of heaven but i find that the oven technique is the fastest one. You barely need anything beside a bit of oil, some parchment paper and a LOT of patience!
I have to admit that the drying time is very long but its worth it so I always make sure to do a lot of tomatoes at the same time and then preserve them in an air tight container or bag in the fridge or the freeze for 6 to 9 months 🙂 Then the recipe possibilities you will have with those sun dried tomatoes are worth every hours you waited for these babies to dry in your oven. Hope you enjoy this post and you find it informative.
– INGREDIENTS –
Fresh cherry tomatoes
1-2 teaspoons of olive oil
1- Pre-heat your oven at 170, line a parchment paper on a baking sheet.
2- Cut your cherry tomatoes in half, toss in a mixing bowl with 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil
3- Line your tomatoes in one layer on the baking sheet and put them the oven for 8 to 12 hours… You can check them once in a while and remove the tomatoes that dried up faster than the others… it could take up to 14 hours as far as my experience goes but every oven is different and every tomatoes will dry in a different time matter.
Hi Ariel,
Once again my comment is not about this particular recipe.
I was wondering if you knew of a way to prepare chicken in which the end result would be like a roast (Crispy skin, moist inside) WITHOUT using oil to base the chicken. I am looking for an almost cholesterol free method. Thanks.
wow that’s a great question… I dont have anything on the top of my mind but I guess it’s a challenge! 🙂
Ma chere Ariel, J’aime l’idée des tomates séchées au soleil. Ma mère a un séchoir à légume et le met l’en petits bagels, qui elle stocke dans le congélateur. très savoureux et, car il ne sont aucun l’humidité restante, savoureux tout droit du congélateur.
Dear Ariel
I am Italian and I am writing from Italy, near Rome. I have a problem with drying my tomatoes as at the moment, we do not have enough hot sun.
I have cherry tomatoes, but also many San Marzano (plum) tomatoes. Last year I was very successful and I was able to bottle them, but now I have problems as the ones I started, are beginning to mold.
Once in the oven, do you keep the temperature at 170 degrees all the time? Will they not just cook? Can you bottle yours in olive oil?
I hope to hear from you soon
Ciao
Rita
Hi Rita!
The sun is getting rare everywhere around the globe these days 🙁
Yes you just leave it at 170 or lower if you have a lower setting and they will dry fine 🙂
I’ve recently dried my tomatoes without the oil and it worked perfectly as well. If you really want to make sure that it wont cook them 100% dont use oil and just line them on a parchement paper. If you also find that it’s getting too hot in the over, just open the door slightly to help ventilation 🙂
Good luck with your tomatoes! I hope I wasnt too late!
Hello,
I have just stumbled across this site and would like to share my experiences ;). I have had my batch of dried tomatoes for over a year now (still not running low…made too much I guess), storing them in a jar with oil in the fridge and they are all right, no signs of them going bad.
Used 2 ways of drying them because of the amount I had. (had cherry ones too, so only cut them in halves)
1. On a baking paper covered baking sheet in the oven @ 50°C (122°F) with slightly open doors. I think I also poured a very little bit of salt on the tomatoes to make them let the water out more easily.
2. Much simpler way, in a food dehydrator, I used nothing, just put them on the dehydrator plates and switched it on, then swapped the plates from time to time.
It took many hours too.
But there is 1 thing. You can´t make them as dry as potato chips, because then it is too much and you would have to let them soak before use in something. Mostly the time is right when they are like harder rubber and dry to touch (the edges may be more dry and crack after you bend them).
Good to store in a freezer/fridge but you will get the best shelf life when they are stored in oil (I put some basilicum and garlic in mine). And it is also closer to the classic Italian style, though I left some ingredients out because I find them too aromatic.
Here are the steps if somebody wants to try sometime :
Prepare oil (olive, but you can try else for a different taste) a jar, size according to the amount of dried tomatoes, garlic and basilicum according to your taste.
Cut garlic cloves and basilicum leaves into small bits, put them in the bottom of the jar.
Put the tomatoes in.
Pour oil in, until none of the tomatoes stick out of it.
Close the jar and put it in a fridge, should be ready for use in a few weeks to 2 months. Depends on how long it takes for them to soften and soak up the flavors ^_^
Hope there are not too many mistakes in my post ^^
Anyways, I like your site, keep up the good work !
Thanks Martin for sharing your experience! 🙂
I’m definitely trying your way next time 🙂