Dehydrating Vegetables 101

TOMATOES

“Tomatoes Are Really A Fruit But Get Classified As A Vegetable”

“Loaded With Vitamin C and Lycopene”

“Antioxidant”

Tomatoes are coming in from the garden and have to be Preserved either by Canning or Dehydrating or Freezing.  I do not have a lot of room in my Freezer, so I prefer to Dehydrate or Can. We Grow Organically so Our Tomatoes will have different Sizes,  Shapes and Blemishes as we do not use pesticides in the garden. I am Dehydrating today.  The procedure is similar to other vegetables:

• Wash and Remove Blemishes, (Skins by Dipping in Boiling Water then Cold), Remove Stems and Slice.
• Slice 1/4″ Slices and Place on Trays.
• Yellow Tomatoes Tend to be Low Acid so I Brush Slices  with Lemon Juice or Vinegar to add a Little more Acid before Drying.
• Drying Time Depends upon Humidity, but Dry at 155*F/68C until like Leather or Clicks on Counter. 5-9 Hours to Dry.

It helps if you have a Slicer, especially if you have a lot of Tomatoes to Slice.  You want them ripe, but firm.  A little over ripe I put in a blender and Puree with 1 tablespoon of Lemon or Vinegar for each Quart for Low-Acid Tomatoes.  Use Plastic Wrap or Kitchen Parchment Paper to Line the Dehydrator Trays if you make the Leather.

The Dehydrated Tomato Slices can be Chopped or Leather can be made into a Powder for Stew, Chili, or other Vegetable Dishes as well as Tomato Paste or Tomato Sauce.  Our Tomatoes are so Sweet they can be eaten Dried right out of the Jar or Pack as a Snack.

“Happy Dehydrating”

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