Let's learn how to dehydrate tomatoes! Whether you grow your own or prefer to buy from grocery stores or roadside vegetable stands, after you've seen just how easy it is to dehydrate tomatoes, you'll wonder why on earth you didn't start sooner!
Just Like Sun Dried!
After you learn how to dehydrate tomatoes, you'll end up with delicious sun-dried tomatoes.
After the how-to instructions farther on down the page, see how you can add oil to make them taste as good as the ones you buy in jars at the grocery store!
Did you know this: While you are dehydrating tomatoes, their vitamin C, vitamin K, Thiamin, and Niacin, along with Folate, and Choline, content increases!
Tomatoes are a fantastic source of vitamin A, followed by vitamin C, and Choline. Trace vitamins are: Niacin, and vitamin E, along with Thiamine, and Betaine, Pantothenic Acid, Folate, and vitamin K.
Minerals to be found in tomatoes are: Potassium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, and Calcium. There are trace amounts of Iron, Zinc, Manganese, and Copper. Tomatoes contain Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids.
When you've finished dehydrating your tomatoes, you'll find they are great to use in many recipes, and are excellent for sauces and puréeing. Try this great tomato sauce by Chef John, over at Allrecipes.
Make them into a powder in your blender and add water to make a paste (or add more water to make a sauce)! This way, you can store the tomato sauce for use later, maybe as a pizza or as spaghetti sauce!
When made into a sauce, consider pouring the sauce onto the special roll up sheets and make a 'tomato roll up/leather.'
For more on "leathers" check out this "dehydrating fruit rolls" page.
Memories: As a young girl of eight or nine, I used to walk barefoot down our tree-lined avenue where mum and dad's bungalow was, to visit my friend, Gillian, down the road. I always looked forward to seeing Gillian.
Her mum used to serve us hot, delicious tomato soup for lunch! It's just one of those things that you'll always recall. It was over 50 years ago... my how time flies.
NOTE:
When dehydrating tomatoes, like sun-dried tomatoes, look out for them imparting a stronger 'tomato' taste in your recipes.
Consider packing your dehydrated tomatoes in a light extra-virgin olive oil too and add some herbs and garlic to help it along.
You've just created your own version of 'store-bought,' and wasn't it fun?
This just in from "Mj" regarding her dehydrated tomatoes:
I also was wondering if you ever turn tomatoes into powder, I dehydrate whole tomatoes sliced (skins and seeds included), and then put it through my grinder.
I found it is a cheater's way of thickening tomato juice for soup and sauces, and I find that not cooking my juice down to a sauce and just adding a little tomato powder has ten fold the flavor.
Last year for holiday gifts I made friends a jar of "All Michigan Vegetable Soup" and the big question from everyone was "where did the awesome tomato flavor come from?"—I told them it was my little secret!
This just in from "Mj" regarding her dehydrated tomatoes:
I also was wondering if you ever turn tomatoes into powder, I dehydrate whole tomatoes sliced (skins and seeds included), and then put it through my grinder.
I found it is a cheater's way of thickening tomato juice for soup and sauces, and I find that not cooking my juice down to a sauce and just adding a little tomato powder has ten fold the flavor.
Last year for holiday gifts I made friends a jar of "All Michigan Vegetable Soup" and the big question from everyone was "where did the awesome tomato flavor come from?"—I told them it was my little secret!
Thanks for taking the time today to stop by to learn how to dehydrate tomatoes. If you have a question, please drop me an email here.
Susan Gast began Easy Food Dehydrating in December 2010. Read Susan's story of what sparked her interest in all things related to "food dehydrating."
She is featured on Mother Earth News blog, and on Solo Build It (SBI) who host this site. Read her first SBI interview, and her second SBI interview.
Since 1980, Susan's involvement in publishing - in one form or another - led her to create a "review site" of products related to the publishing industry. Visit ePubTechReviews today, also hosted by Solo Build It. Susan also runs her namesake site SusanGast.com on Solo Build It that showcases the books she has written since 2010.
Do you want to send Susan a quick message? Visit her contact page here. She'd love to hear from you!