“Sun”-dried Tomatoes

I use the term “sun-dried” very loosely here! In order to dry tomatoes out in the sun you need long, hot, dry days, which is usually not a problem in August, which is when we have an abundance of tomatoes and the perfect time to make this delicacy. The biggest problem in drying them outside are the many hungry critters that would love a tasty nibble! The birds would have a feast day if we left trays and trays of tasty tomatoes on display for them! So, we use a dehydrator and our oven instead with the same delicious results.

I’d always assumed making sun-dried tomatoes would be a long, complicated process but it is surprisingly easy. It does take quite a few hours for the tomatoes to dry out completely but the oven and dehydrator do most of the work. All you need are the following ingredients:

Ingredients:

Tomatoes (any kind will do, I particularly like making them with cherries)
Sea salt
Italian herbs (or any spices you like, a combination of oregano and basil works great too)

Directions:

Rinse your tomatoes to remove any debris
Slice them up: for larger tomatoes I like to slice them into quarters and for cherries just cut them in half
Place slices, cut side up, on oven trays or dehydrator trays, whichever you're using
Sprinkle very lightly with some sea salt
Sprinkle with your selection of herbs
If using an oven, heat to it’s lowest temperature (about 180°F or 80°C) and place trays inside
If using a dehydrator, insert filled trays and turn on
Now comes the waiting! How long it takes will depend on the thickness of the tomatoes but on average we find it takes about 6-10 hours for all the juices to evaporate out. To speed up the process you can periodically use a spatula to press down on the tomatoes to release the juices as they’re cooking
They are ready when all the juices have been releases and the tomatoes are dry but still bendy. You don’t want to overcook them and have them hard and brittle.

Storage:

Once they’re done there are a couple of different ways that you can store them so you can enjoy them for months to come.

The easiest way is just to seal them in zip-lock freezer bags and store them in the freezer. Remember to suck out as much as air you can with a straw before sealing the bag. This method keeps them edible for the longest time, you can leave them in the freezer for a year or two before using them. If they’re a little hard when you take them out of the freezer you can soak them in some water, or broth, to rehydrate before using them.
The second method to preserve them is especially delicious but only has a shelf life of a couple of months. Using this method you pack them in oil with some garlic and herbs and keep them in the refrigerator. These will resemble the sun-dried tomatoes you buy in jars but, because they’re not sealed properly, they won’t last quite as long as store bought ones. See instructions on how to make these below:

Oil-Packed Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Sterilise the jars you want to use first, pick smaller jars as they will only keep for a couple of months
Stuff the jars with dried-tomatoes, layering in with some crushed garlic and Italian herbs
Pour in olive oil and make sure the top layer is completely covered.
Screw lid on tight and keep in fridge until needed (up to a couple of months)

Ways to use sun-dried tomatoes:

If you like sun-dried tomatoes as much as we do you can think of an endless number of ways to enjoy them!

You can, of course, just eat them on their own as a snack or on a cheese or charcuterie board.
They are great as a pizza topping, with spinach and feta or asparagus and mushrooms
You can put them in quiches
They go great with pastas
You can pop them in a salad
Spice up a toasted cheese sandwich
And so much more…..!