I used Port in the Pepper Melange recipe instead of what was called for and it is excellent. And, Port is only fortified wine. I say, Go for It!

Thank you so much, I think I'll just go for it. It's a small bottle so I'll just soak how ever many it works for. Better get started!!

All I had handy when I made the first 2 batches was Sangria, worked fine. Port should be intresting, I say go for it, as well.
I am using a 1/2 decent bottle of Chanti with olive oil for the 2 week curing, but I better stop tasting, lol. They are tasty!
BTW, someone asked about letting them soak overnight in a refrig or room temp. I have done both and the refrig ones seemed to dry better and process better.

thanks for info! I really appreciate it as this is my first time doing this but I'm very excited to try!!

Can someone post the recipe?
I thought I was done with tomatoes, but this sounds good....

Thanks!
Deanna

I wouldn't use port: it's too sweet.

The recipe ... I'm waiting for the fall tomato crop to try this. You can buy CHEAP red wine at Walmart ($1.97 a bottle for their house brand.), or buy the cheap gallon jugs of Gallo's red wine.

*****************

Wash, stem and slice each tomato into 1/4" thick slices.

Place in a very large bowl or clean bucket and cover with cheap red wine. I use Merlot but if you prefer something else, knock yourself out. I have a friend that swears by cheap Chianti!

Soak tomato slices 24 hours in the wine. Drain well.

Lay tomatoes just touching on dehydrator shelves or on screen in your sun-drying apparatus.

Sprinkle each slice with a mixture containing equal parts of dried basil-oregano-parsley and then sprinkle each slice with Kosher Salt.

You may choose to forego the salt if you wish but tomatoes will take longer to dry.

Dry tomatoes until they are firm and leatherlike with no moisture pockets, but NOT brittle. (If you get them too dry, soak them in lemon juice for a few minutes.) To store, place in vacuum bags or ziplock bags and freeze.

IMPORTANT!!! If you will be storing sun-dried tomatoes in Olive oil you !!!MUST!!! dip each slice in vinegar before adding to oil.

To pack in oil:
Dip each tomato into a small dish of white wine vinegar. Shake off the excess vinegar and pack them in olive oil adding 1/4 cup red wine. (1/4 cup per quart of tomatoes)

For tomatoes in oil I am selling, I put the tomatoes into the oil two weeks ahead of time and store in the refrigerator.

Make sure they are completely immersed in the oil. When the jar is full, cap it tightly. I use my vacuum sealer to seal the canning lids on.

Store at *cool* room temperature for at least a month before using. They may be stored in the refrigerator, but the oil will solidify at refrigerator temperatures (it quickly reliquifies at room temperature however). As tomatoes are removed from the jar, add more olive oil as necessary to keep the remaining tomatoes covered. I have stored oil-packed tomatoes in m root cellar for over a year.

It is also important from a food safety standpoint, as it acidifies the oil and discourages growth of bacteria and mold. Soaking in the wine also acidifies them.

****** WARNING ********

Do *NOT* add fresh garlic cloves or fresh herbs of any kind to oil-packed dried tomatoes, UNLESS you store them in the refrigerator and plan on using them within 7 days. Garlic is a low-acid food which, when placed in oil, creates a low-acid anaerobic environment just perfect growth medium for botulinum bacteria if the mixture is not refrigerated. Be safe and add your garlic to the dried tomatoes as part of the recipe for them *after* they come out of the oil.

Thank you for re-posting the recipe.

(Now I'm wondering just which of the kids has the dehydrator base. ? )

I am soaking a batch in a cheap cabernet sauvignon (it's what was on sale for the cheapest at the store). I have enough tomatoes for another batch but my dehydrator is only so big. I'd rather be short a few than soak too many.

Here's my question. The recipe says to use equal parts of dried herbs. My herb garden this year was a huge success. Could I use the fresh herbs instead of dried?

Could I use the fresh herbs instead of dried?

From the last paragraph of the recipe:

"Do *NOT* add fresh garlic cloves or fresh herbs of any kind to oil-packed dried tomatoes, UNLESS you store them in the refrigerator and plan on using them within 7 days."

Medcave, I thought that last sentence applied for packing in oil. I plan to store in the freezer per the last sentence before the storing in oil instructions.

"Dry tomatoes until they are firm and leatherlike with no moisture pockets, but NOT brittle. (If you get them too dry, soak them in lemon juice for a few minutes.) To store, place in vacuum bags or ziplock bags and freeze."

I wouldn't use fresh herbs simply because the dehydrator manuals say not to dry herbs and fruits/veggies together. They have different drying requirements, particularly since the tomatoes are only being dried to the "leatherlike stage".

If you want to use your own herbs, how about drying them before adding them to the wine/tomatoes?

Fresh herbs also change the pH of the end product. That is one reason why only dried are recommended as they have no negative effect on the pH. Medcave's point is well taken - the fresh herbs should be dried separately and only then added to the tomatoes.

Now of course if you want to make fresh eating product you can use the fresh herbs. But in that case why would you dry the tomatoes first?

Dave

Thanks for the explanations; I wondered about different drying times and temps for the herbs.

I have plenty of dried and will use them. Our basil, oregano and parsley this year is wonderful and produced a bumper crop. The first batch is soaking happily.

My herb garden this year was a huge success. Could I use the fresh herbs instead of dried?

I scattered fresh, finely chopped herbs over the tomatoes and then dehydrated them together. The herbs were dry and the tomatoes leathery.

Now I have to figure out how to keep them from vanishing every time my house-mate is in the kitchen.

I found some really heavy Roma tomaotes at the Farmers' Market to try this recipe. I sliced the tomatoes into 1/4" rings. I even behaved myself and only used cheap-ish Merlot to soak the tomato rings. I dried copious amounts of basil, parsley and oregano -- herbs dry here overnight on the counter.

After soaking I found that the skins were literally peeling off the rings... so I took them off.

After drying in the dehydrator I had rings that weren't much more than a circle of string.... no body at all. I was soooo disappointed!
The herbs were fine, so I tossed them into my mixed herb pot for future reference.

So, what should I do next time so I have a more traditional dried tomato?

Hmmmm....I used romas as well and didn't have that problem. I may have cut them thicker than 1/4" though. Mine were probably more like 1/2" thick, maybe that made a difference?

Agree - slice them thicker. You can also do them in halves or quarters.

Dave

Roma type I cut in halfs, other types in quarters. Dry cut side up. 1/4th inch is not enough meat for me, although they plump up a bit in the oil curing.
About 1/2 way thru the drying process I turn the romas to cut side down and make a small slit on the skin side, to aide in uniform drying.
Did you also get them drunk in the refrigerator? I find all mater types hold cell tissue better having their wine party in the refrigerator overnight.

I had the same result and thought half inch slices would work better. They also had a very strong wine flavor...very little tomato flavor. I'll cut the soak time to about 12 hours next time.

Could one reuse the wine? I'm going to reuse what I had left in a beef stew but wondered if it could be used for a second batch of the sundried tomatoes.

As long as your wine is refrigerated. I drain and reuse 3 times.

Here is what brokenbar wrote:

"I buy whatever Merlot is the cheapest! I use a gallon and then I save it for the next batch. I DO NOT save wine for more than 7 days and I store it in the frig."

"I usually get three five gallon buckets of soaked tomatoes on one batch of wine and then I have to throw it out (actually...funny story. I give it to my neighbor who gives it to her pigs and they really love it and they get drunk! She says after they slurp it up, they go sleep for about 5 hours!)"

More in this thread...

Here is a link that might be useful: Sun Dried Tomato thickness

Thanks for re-posting the thread. I only printed out the recipe/instructions. Not until reading further did I see where the wine is used for several batches.

I'm using my leftover wine in a spaghetti meat sauce. I didn't use a gallon...I used a bottle of a cab on sale that was a real bargain. Will reserve a cup of what was left in the carmelized red onion relish recipe which calls for a cup of dry red wine. (I'll pour the wine I'm using for the onion relish from the top and use the rest that has the tomato sediment in my sauce.)

I used a wine I would drink rather than the mega-cheap stuff. Being a wine enthusiast, I just couldn't bring myself to buy the ultra cheap stuff.

My tomatoes spent the night on the kitchen counter. I'll 'fridgerate next time. And, I'll be using much bigger pieces next time.

I did save the leftover wine for some future dish.

At least the Chianti I used had a cork in the bottle! lol.
You betcha use in Spagh Sauce, I always pour in some when I am making Spagh sauce.