DIY REAL Sun Dried Tomatoes

Do you grow your own tomatoes?  If you do, and if you are like me, then you have a lot of extras.   After sharing my extras with friends and family and even giving some to the chickens every day I still had so many more to go...and more growing every day.  I was trying to think of something different to do with them so I thought why not homemade sun-dried tomatoes?  

I started doing a little research and discovered that most 'sun-dried' tomatoes aren't really sun dried anymore, they are dehydrated or cooked in an oven.  Since my goal is always to do things in simple ways using as few resources as possible I was determined to really, truly, make real sun dried tomatoes. And I did!  It was so simple and so successful that I have made many more batches since then!

After drying them, which generally takes a minimum of 2 full-sun days (depending upon the humidity of course), I freeze them instead of just storing them dry because they last longer in the freezer and I don't need to check them regularly for any mold growth.  Mold growth can occur if any of the tomatoes are not 100% dry.  Any little bit of moisture left over can start growing mold, so since we live in a humid environment and I have a freezer I decided it was just easier and safer to keep them there.

When we are ready to use them for cooking all we do is boil some water, cover them with the hot boiled water and let them sit for 15 - 20 minutes. This rehydrates them so they can simply be added to any dish we choose!

The best part is they cost me practically nothing, they are organic (because they were grown in my own garden), they retain all the wonderful nutrients of fresh tomatoes, and they can be enjoyed all winter long when I have no fresh garden to pick from!

Check out my You Tube video below to see how I made them:

Thanks for visiting!

Sincerely,