For JennyLiz- sundried tomatoes

[karen]

I glad you posted your recipe Mrsreber. Do you think I could use store bought tomatoes, and how much should I buy since this will be my first time making sun dried tomatoes.
Thanks, Karen

[Vanessa]

Karen A couple of yrs ago my husband bought one of those dryers to dry herbs, fruits etc. They have several trays and we had a lot of tomatoes. We followed mnfr instructions and dried tomatoes there. Afterwards I put them in zip lock bags & gave them to my mom. I must say for such a large amount of tomatoes they shrank and the end result did not seem that much. I then undestood why the price for dried tomatoes.
I mostly used garden tomatoes (Roma).
This dryer you can get in Target Walmart etc nowdays.

[MrsReber]

Vanessa, the food dryer sounds interesting. I never even thought of doing it that way. My husband and I thought about getting one of those.

Karen, I guess I usually get about a bagful of tomatoes when I buy them in the store- meaning one of the plastic produce bags they have in the supermarket. Last year, I didn't grow enough plum tomatoes and had to get some extra at the store. I never really thought about how many I use, but yes, they do shrink up alot. I would just put as many as you can on the tray. It takes a long time, but the results I've had make it well worth the effort. Plus, if you put them in the oven at 8:00pm and check on them before you go to sleep, they're usually ready by 8:00am.

[MrsReber]

I don't know how you normally make your sundried tomatoes, but I'll tell you how I make mine.

I cut the plum tomatoes in half and place them cut side up on a roasting pan (I'm not sure I'm using the correct term) It's the pan where any juices can drip down into the pan. Maybe it's a broiler pan?? Anyway, I spray them with a little olive oil and put some fresh ground black pepper on them. Then I set my oven for the lowest setting (or 100 degress) and let them bake for about 10-12 hours. I do this overnight on a weekend so I can keep an eye on them. I just use my best judgement as to when they are really done.

I have stored them in ziploc bags and containers in the fridge with a touch of olive oil. I never had them go moldy on me, but I tend to put them in everything because they are so much sweeter than storebought. I have never tried freezing them. Don't know how that might work.

Hope this helps you.