Sun Dried Tomatoes in the Sun – Summer Fest

Summer Fest is back again and  the theme for this week are tomatoes. To participate, read more about Summer Fest on Away To Garden from Margaret then come join the community!  Catch up on this seasons previous  themes on the bounty of Cukes N Zukes ,  Sweet Corn and Herbs, Beans, Greens and Stonefruits.

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20 tomato varieties. 3 didn’t make it.  That was our garden’s initial tomato plantings this spring. Of the 17 remaining there were was one of the paste tomatoes (our San Marzanos) which was grown for one purpose, sun dried tomatoes.

Whimsically we had hoped to have the time to put in our wood-burning oven by now and were planning on drying the tomatoes in its post-baking warmth.  However this summer turned into non-stop madness and there was no time for such epic projects. So after the San Marzano started reddening its oblong masses, we went to Plan B, going super old school and  slowly drying the tomatoes in the sun over many days.

Sure we could have heated up the kitchen’s oven and dried them in there over a fraction of a day.  But where was the romance in that?  How beautiful would it be to have the tomatoes slowly kissed by the sun over a few warm summer days. The gentle summer breeze wrapping its warmth around the tomatoes, reducing them to perfectly concentrated and preserved little delicacies

Actually that wasn’t our line of thought, we’re not really that sappy.  But we are curious.  Curious to discover the “how tos” and “best ways” of dishes and ingredients we love.  We want to know how to make something ourselves and find out if we can make it better than what we are able to buy. Is there something extraordinarily special about the way something was traditionally done, or can modern conveniences do just as good or better of a job?

ta da! before and after the sun tan

This summer we decided to delve into sun-dried tomatoes. The process is as simple as it gets.  Slice, add some herbs if you like, then either dry in the oven at 180° F over many hours (8-10 hours depending on thickness and type of tomatoes) or dry them in the sun over many days.  Dry them until they have the consistency of a plump raisin, then store the tomatoes in a vacuum sealed (or air-removed ziplock) or packed in olive oil and sealed jars.

Custom screen frame built for

the tomatoes to dry in the sun. Kinda rough but created the airspace.

Ideally you want the air to be able to circulate all around the tomato slices so they will dry evenly.  In the oven, a wire cooling rack used on top of a sheet pan works great.  For testing our this sun dried tomato recipe, we wanted something bigger so we quickly rigged up a drying rack using a couple pieces of wood and some window screen mesh.  We used the screen under the tomatoes for air circulation and over the top of the tomatoes to keep the bugs off. It would be very easy for someone to make a proper frame for drying the tomatoes, however our drying rack was tossed together as a rush job done in a few minutes before heading out the door. Looks “rustic” but worked perfect.

We sliced the tomatoes in varying thickness to see how each of them dried, since I wasn’t trusting that and 1 1/2″ plum tomato would have the best texture if merely cut in half.  In the end it did.  The ones cut into 1/2 or 1/3rds for an 1 1/2″ thick tomato dried the best.  The ones cut thinner became too thin after drying. Still tasty though.

Are they any better than drying them in the oven?  That is hard to say but these particular tomatoes were quite tasty, and we didn’t do a side by side dehydrate off.  Plus it was simple, took virtually no prep time, just a few days of waiting and checking, and the oven didn’t have to be turned on in the summer’s heat.

 Print This Recipe

Sun Dried Tomato Recipe
This recipe is for actually drying your tomatoes in the sun, however you can make sun dried tomatoes in the oven as well.  Set the temp. to 180°F and slowly dehydrate the tomatoes for 8-10 hours or until they are no longer tacky and the texture is like a plump raisin. Paste or plum tomatoes are the ideal choice, but you can really use any tomato you have on hand. No ingredient quantities are needed.  Season by preference, keeping in mind the tomatoes are going to reduce a lot during the dehydrating.

a few lbs Plum (Paste) Tomatoes, sliced lengthwise (for an 1″ to 1 1/2″ thick tomato, slice no thinner than in thirds)
Chopped Herbs (oregano, thyme, etc…) optional
Sea Salt

frame with screen mesh to lay tomatoes on & more screen mesh to lay over the top to keep bugs off

1. Slice the tomatoes & lay on framed screen mesh. Season with optional herbs and sea salt.  Cover with another layer of screen mesh and place in a sunny spot. Leave outside for several days (may be longer, depends on weather, thickness of tomato, water content, etc…) Sun dried tomatoes are done drying when the texture is no longer tacky, and it resembles a plump raisin.

2.  Store in a vacuum sealed bag (or zip lock with air removed) in fridge or freezer for up to a year, or store packed in olive oil and sealed in a sterile canning jar (can be left in a cool place).

Summer Fest is back for its 3rd year! And we’re happy to be participating again thanks to Margaret Roach and Deb Puchalla, the creators of Summer Fest.

This great annual cross-blog event celebrates the peak harvest season where we all share recipes or growing tips for all our harvest fresh ingredients and produce. Everyone is encouraged to participate  by sharing a recipe or tip each Wednesday’s specific theme the the event ends.

Summer fest is a community celebration of shared cooking and gardening tips. All you have to do is contribute a post based on the weekly theme and share your links on all the host bloggers who are collaborating in Summer Fest. If you don’t have a full post, you share your comments too! Leaving your link will allow everyone in the Summer Fest community to feast on your creations.

For complete Summer Fest information & schedule, visit Margaret at Away to Garden.

After  writing your post, please visit all the host blogs and leave your link to share  & follow on Twitter :

• Away to Garden with Margaret Roach @MargaretRoach
• Scripps/Food Network with Deb Puchalla @DebPuchalla
• Healthy Eats, Food Network Blog with Elizabeth Gray @healthyeats
• Food Network Dish & Cooking Channel, Kirsten Vala and Sara Levine,  @foodnetwork,  @cookingchannel,  @Kirstenvala
• Cooking Channel Devour The Blog with Michelle Buffardi,  @mbuffardi
• Food2 Blog with Alison Sickelka, @ali_s
• Just A Taste with Kelly Senyei, @justataste
• Food Philosophy with Jennifer Iannolo, @foodphilosophy
• Remarkable Palate with Chef Mark Tafoya, @chefmark
• Alice Q Foodie with Alice, @aliceqfoodie
• Pinch My Salt with Nicole, @pinchmysalt
• Caroline Wright Food with Caroline, @chefcaroline
• San Diego Food Stuff with Caron Golden, @carondg
• Sweet Nicks with Cate O’Malley
• Gluten Free Girl with Shauna and Danny Ahern, @glutenfreegirl
• The Sister Project with Paige Smith Orloff, @paigeorloff
• Tea and Cookies with Tara Weaver , @tea_austen
• Eat From the Ground Up with Alana Chernila, @edability
• Tigress in a Pickle with Tigress

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