Man I wish I would have had a tomato crop this year! I have a brand new dehydrator I was gonna preserve with!

Which reminds me, I better get the apples picked and processed, before they all fall to the ground!

Jenny P

oh yum! Those cherry tomatoes have got be be really tasty treats with the flavors intensified by drying.

I am lusting after a dryer Donn!! As soon as we can move back into the house (hopefully in the next few weeks renovations will be done), I'm putting up a shelf with a dryer on it!

ggg

Wow, that's a lot of maters. And I had no idea dehydrators took that long.

Karen

Wow, that's some production.
Where do you store the dehydrated yummies?

After the dehydrator is done, the stuff goes into baggies, to make sure it's dry enough. If it isn't, condensation forms on the baggie, and the stuff goes back to the dehydrator. Eventually, it'll be stored in Ball jars, some by itself, and some in EVOO. Most of the red Habaneros get flaked, along with Jabanero, for hot pepper flakes.

Donn, it smells delicious. May we all come for dinner?

Now THAT'S a dehydrator!

I am growing paprika peppers this year, and planned to dehydrate them, and grind them into paprika powder. That is if they are ripe before the first hard freeze. Anyway, I only have one of the small, round dehydrators, that just has an on/off switch, no temperature control. DH uses it for making beef jerky, and I was wondering if this would work for the peppers.

Thanks, Bonnie

Bonnie..if it'll make jerky, it'll dry peppers, although jerky is usually done at higher temperatures than veggies. Also, peppers don't have to be ripe to be dried and tasty. Hot peppers won't be as hot, but will still have some heat and lots of flavor.

The tasty results:

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Donn, do you know how lucky you are to still have those gorgeous tomatoes coming on? Ours quit producing in July because it just gets TOO HOT. And that is in spite of growing them in the shade! The tomato season is almost as much of a tease as asparagus - just enough of the real flavor to get you in the mood and then - NUTHIN'!!

Enjoy your bounty!

Very cool :)

Funny you should post this now. I was just thinking how nice a food dehydrator would be for all the cherry tomatoes that just won't stop and we can't seem to eat quickly enough.

Does anyone think I could use the oven at the lowest temp for this?

Hi Mo_Girl,

Yes - I've read that an oven will work. From Mother Earth News, here's their instructions:

Whatever tomato to you choose, be sure they're perfectly ripe, firm and flavorful. Drying intensifies but does not improve flavor.

Cherry tomatoes can be cut in half and arranged skin-side down on the drying trays. Small plum tomatoes can be cut in half lengthwise, but larger ones should be cut in one-quarter to half-inch slices. Gently squeeze out the seeds before placing the pieces on the trays.

Dry the tomatoes in the sun, or in a dehydrator or oven set to 135 to 140 degrees. Check every four to six hours, then every two to three hours, removing those that have dried as you go.

When dry, plum tomatoes will be pliable and leathery, but may still retain enough moisture to mold, so store them in the freezer. Tomatoes that are dried enough to be crisp may be stored in a glass jar in the pantry.

All the best,
Gail

Wow!
Once again, my eyes have been opened.
I never thought of drying veggies, never knew dehydrators came that big, etc. etc.
I think this something my husband will be very interested in....venison jerky and dried fruit and veggies would be great for bike trips.

Donn, thank you for posting this! :-)

Linda

Gail, thanks so much for your input. That's a great idea to freeze them if they still end up moist. I'm going to give it a shot in the oven. If they're dry enough, I'll try storing them in plastic bags, if not I can freeze them, and use them in recipes during winter.

Donn, those tomatoes do look so yummy. I may look into a dehydrator for next summer.