Sun dried tomatoes, making your own

In our video series on preserving the taste of summer, Mom describes in the videos below how to dry tomatoes and how to preserve them in olive oil. If you end up with a tomato bounty, this really is an easy way to preserve them, though you do need temperatures of at least 85 degrees.
As an aside, I love Mom’s references to “Just Tomatoes.” She has a ratty, old, very well used copy of an early how-to book by the company. I said, “Mom, that’s a pretty big company now. Those guys actually made it.” Mom (and Just Tomatoes) were “real food” people back before this current wave of “real foodies.” For other real food tidbits, check out this week’s Real Food Wednesday at Cheeseslave.
View the videos here or if the server gods are crazy, go directly to YouTube for drying tomatoes and preserving tomatoes in olive oil. Read the drying instructions below the jump.
For other food preservation nuggets check out Mom’s videos on fruit leather, frozen “pepper plops” (from cooked pepper), freezing produce, and using overgrown zucchini.
And if you struggle at all with depression, get the book Rebuild from Depression on depression and food nutrients. It is the best twenty bucks you’ll ever spend.

Drying Your Own Tomatoes
I remember the first time I came across instructions on how to process dried tomatoes. I had taken an elderly friend to a doctor’s appointment. While she conferred with the Doc, I thumbed through his magazine collection to find these instructions. I was ecstatic! I remember thinking, “This is one of those times when my reward isn’t just in heaven!”
Later I got a copy of the Just Tomatoes cook book which furthered my exploration of using dried tomatoes. There is no better way to intensify and enjoy the flavor of summer tomatoes after the snow flurries come.
Steps
1. Select tomatoes that have a high sugar content and dense meat. Lots of seeds and juice are a disqualifying factor. Romas or paste tomatoes usually work well. I continue to experiment with different tomatoes to find some fine heirlooms like Purple Russian that dry really well. If you think you have found a good candidate for drying, try drying a dozen to see how they perform. If the results are not good, not much lost!
2. If the tomatoes are dirty or dusty, wash allow to dry thoroughly.
3. Cut the tomatoes in half and lay out to dry with the cut side up. As the tomato half dries, it forms a little saucer that keeps the juices in. This saucer action is part of what makes the tomato taste so intense in the finished product.
4. Set the tomatoes on the trays of an electric dehydrator or on the plastic-wrap-covered surface of something you have set up in the sun. I use a piece of plywood set up on sawhorses. I have dried on the roof.
5. If you are sun-drying, get the tomatoes out early in the day so they will skin over before dark. The dry skin in top keeps your project from being so interesting to winged and crawling things. And, go for the sunniest, warmest spot on your property.
6. Check the tomatoes every couple of days. Drying time will vary depending on you temperatures, the length of the day, the size of your tomato. If the tomatoes start looking dark brown, move them to a spot with a little less sun. When the tomatoes are very leathery, bring them in.
7. Process your dried tomatoes immediately. Or, store them in airtight containers in the freezer until you are ready for processing. If you dried gallons and gallons of tomatoes, you won’t want them processed all at the same time anyway.
8. I’ve tried storing the dried, unprocessed tomatoes in glass jars with poor results. Some smelled moldy after a time. Some attracted tiny moths that had a field day.