Are you really going to do this in the sun, golodkin? Wow, cool --- please let us know how it turns out.

Alas, I have no recommendations for you from personal experience. I live in Canada, where three uninterrupted days of blazing sun with low humidity are just not a common occurrence (it does get hot here near Lake Ontario in the summer, but often with humidity). So I dry my tomatoes in the oven, which works very well:

Cut 'em in half, put cut side up on cookie sheets, salt lightly if desired, and put in oven at lowest setting. Check regularly and remove those that are dried (leathery but not crunchy is the consistency you are looking for). I usually do cherry tomtoes, which take about 4 to 8 hours; plum tomatoes take maybe 12 to 24, depending on how meaty they are.

For doing it outside, most people seem to recommend putting them on screens --- make some by putting mesh on a frame, or use cleaned old window screens. And be sure to have some kind of set-up for keeping off flies.

Looking forward to hearing advice from those who have done it, and hoep you'll report back when you have!

Zabby

You are lucky if you have the dry weather, summer sun needed to "sun-dry" tomatoes.

It's a matter of personal preference as to the type of tomato that is used. I prefer the larger sized (golf ball) cherry type, cut into 2 or more pieces.

These are placed on aluminum sheets cut side up (sheets have holes in them). These are placed in the sun or a very low setting oven with the door propped open to allow moisture to escape. My stove has a warmer drawer used mainly to keep buns, etc. warm while cooking, but I find it also useful for drying - but a bit slower than the oven, tho not as apt to over-dry as the oven might.

You are fortunate to have a climate for drying foods - but not too many of us do. I'm about 6 blks from the ocean, so necessary to bring sun dried foods inside or if weather too cool - forget it altogether and opt for the stove (or dehydrator).

I'm sure someone will chime in for dehydrator usage, but so far I haven't purchased one. I'm going to try sun drying this year, although it will mean bringing the foods in at night.

I have also dried peppers by stringing the ripe ones on monofilament line (fishing line) and hanging it on the south side of my house during hotter summer months. Again, depends on the weather.

Garlic is best harvested when tops dry - then bring inside to finish drying (I have a rack near my kitchen ceiling where they are out of the way). When completely dry, they are then hung in the corner, braided, or placed in a mesh bag for easy access.

Just my 2 c's.

bejay

We never did sun-dry tomatoes, but we did sun-dry apples and prunes on screens placed on top of the old pump house.

One source suggests dipping halved tomatoes in 50-50 water and vinegar before sun-drying.

Place on plastic or nylon screening and leave plenty of airspace around tomatoes. We used screening in wooden frames which could be placed on something like sawhorses. Don't use metal screening, which might react with the tomato acid and leave an unpleasant aftertaste. Cover the tomatoes with cheesecloth to keep off flies and any wind-borne debris.

Bring in the screens at night and don't return them until the sun is fully up and there's no dew on the grass. (Probably not a big issue in Sacramento, LOL!)

The usual tests apply for determining when tomatoes are fully dried.

Carol

"The usual tests apply for determining when tomatoes are fully dried."

I'm not familiar with those, but have wondered.

If I have to bring these in at night and put them out in the morning, it's a non-starter and I'll plow under most of my seedlings now. That's too much work.

I'll have to look into that. Most people have a hard time imagining the appalling heat and aridity of this climate, though. There's typically no measurable rainfall from the end of April until the beginning of October, and high temperatures in midsummer can be well over a hundred for weeks on end. In the hot areas of my yard where I was planning to do this, where there's a lot of reflected heat from nearby walls, I imagine it gets near or over a hundred and thirty during the bad days.

My plan was to get a slicer and _slice_ the low-moisture tomatoes and put them out in the morning, turn them once (or not) and have them dry as rawhide by nightfall, but I'm just theorizing here. I'm not sure if this would work.

I learned to sun-dry tomatoes here even though am that person that is going to chime in about using a dehydrator. LOL

I'm growing 6 Sungold tomato plants this year because are make super flavorful dried toms.

When you think your tomatoes are dried enough just put them in a tightly sealed mason jar and put jar upside down on counter. If moisture collects at the top inside jar then they need more drying.

jt

You might be able to get your tomatoes dry in one day; you could do a small test batch and see. You could also try leaving them out overnight. Every climate is different and it may work just fine for you.

However, it's ironic that if the temperature outside is too high the tomatoes will form a dry skin on the surface and the insides will stay moist, so even in the dryest climate mold is possible. Also, exposure to added moisture at night can extend the drying time or at worst lead to mold problems.

The site below provides some good basic information, including how to determine your tomatoes are sufficiently dry.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Seasonal Chef on Drying Tomatoes

The one time I tried drying Tomatoes outside I had such a problem with fruit flies that I ended up throwing the lot away.

IF I were to ever do it again I would use two sets of two fine screens -- two top two bottom with the tomatoes in between the middle two and sealed with duct tape all around so the flies couldn't actually ever touch the fruit.

I'm in the process of setting up my outside drying idea. It is similar to what westelle mentions in her post above.

I took 2 screens off my kitchen windows and tied them together butterfly style, then placed a small grill inbetween to keep apart. Yesterday, I tried drying some green onions sliced thin and spread onto an aluminum tray which had a paper towel on it. They stayed outside most of the day until it clouded over, so had to finish them in the oven. But it was about a day.

I think it will work, although for anything fleshy - like tomatoes, it may take a few days, but it will be easy to bring the trays in, as this "contraption" is hung from my kitchen window. If bugs become a problem, a small fan will probably work - at least that is my strategy of the moment.

Last year, I dried quite a few items, tomatoes, peppers, herbs, onions, garlic salt, etc., and my energy bills were quite high. Even if I can't use sun drying completely, I think it will work sufficiently for me to at least reduce the amount of gas/electricity use otherwise.

In the past, I dried apricots in the desert, (summertime temps - over 110 - very dry), but even there had to bring them in. Not only because of the cool night, but there would also be a problem with desert kangaroo rats. The "cots" were also sulfured - which helped the drying as well.

Bejay

> I'm in the process of setting up my outside drying idea. It is similar to what westelle mentions in her post above. I took 2 screens off my kitchen windows and tied them together butterfly style, then placed a small grill inbetween to keep apart.

Bejay,

Well, that's just crazy!! I like it. I think the fan is a good idea too.

jt

Electricity bills high?? Gee I never thought about that--how much does it cost to run a dehydrator, anyway?
Carla in Sac

Guess what - in the past few days, since the above posts, I have been drying herbs - mint, celery, parsley, more onion tops, and my little window contraption is working fine.

Of course, our temps are in the near 80's - (unseasonable weather we're having yes?) and they are drying in a day.

I haven't tried anything more fleshy - but perhaps I'll treat some apple slices to Fruit Fresh tomorrow, and see how long it takes.

So far, so good.

Bejay

Dehydrators usually only draw about 50 watts or less. If they have fans, it could be slightly higher. Drying out in an oven is very costly however. The faster something dries, the more flavor and smell it retains

My apple slice drying experiment is only half done. Yesterday they sat in their little "screened-in porch" in near 90 degree weather, but had to bring them in when night time came. Today, the weather is foggy and 57 degrees - so popped them in the bun warmer drawer to finish drying.

Such fun - really have to stay versatile in this food raising hobby/occupation - but still sharpening up food drying techniques - it always seems to take a few trials and errors anyway - just to fine tune everything. Maybe by the time the tomatoes ripen, I'll have mastered the art.

At least my sourdough bread making is becoming edible. Wonder why it always takes a lot of experiments before it finally turns out to my liking??? - (and a lot of help from these forums).

Bejay