Wednesday 16 August 2017

Sun-dried Tomatoes.



Encouraged by my near neighbour, Sue, I have thrown caution to the winds and have attempted to sun-dry some (Roma) Tomatoes.

This was simply an experiment, which is why I did so few. If all goes well, I'll do a lot more in about a week's time when we're expecting a longer period of good weather.

I cut them in half, removed the pips and mush, salted them slightly, then put them out to dry in the sunshine.

I didn't have any problem drying them; but the interesting bit will be seeing how they taste.


Here they are after their 3 days drying, and having been packed away in Olive oil with some dried Oregano and coarse-ground pepper (above). The colour is amazing; nothing at all like the commercial ones. 

I have now tasted one. Really delicious, but slightly under-salted. I suppose they should be salted much as one would for eating them fresh.

p.s. Why is it that most recipes on Google for 'Sun-Dried Tomatoes' involve using an OVEN? Surely the whole point of SUN-DRIED means they're dried by the SUN. We live in strange times.




27 comments:

  1. Interestingly shaped tomatoes. For a moment I thought I saw red peppers. Let me not revive yesterday's storm in an aubergine shaped teapot (over at John's).

    I wake of your post I consulted my trusted book on all things preserved and indeed, as you say, ideally anything sun dried should be dried in very hot sun. In the absence of which an oven will do. Hence the author calls his receipe "oven dried" (same difference - in terms of outcome). The point of the exercise being that of concentrating flavour. Doesn't matter where the heat comes from - though "sun" conjuring up a rather more romantic picture than "oven".

    Which reminds me, do you ever dry your wild mushrooms? Here a small packet of those amazing nuggets costs a fortune. As they should considering we can't all live in the Berner Oberland with mushrooms mushrooming out of your ears.

    U

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    Replies
    1. I do indeed dry mushrooms (Cepes), they are very easy to dry, and are wonderful in winter Risottos. The 'interestingly shaped' tomatoes are the Italian 'Roma' variety, which I imagine are the same as are used in Italy for the same process.

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    2. Roma are usually used here to make fresh tomato sauce. In September Roma are cheaper. Families buy them in great quantities. Cook them in big pots until they are half their initial amount, add a little olive oil and salt, pour it into jars, seal them closed by boiling them shut. Always have fresh tomatoes throughout the year. The September air smells of tomatoes; every second home is making sauce.
      But homegrown tomatoes are the best and your tomatoes look very good. Oregon is perfect for dry tomatoes.
      Greetings Maria x

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    3. I usually do a lot of bottling at this time of year (exactly the way you mention), but I still have plenty from last year, so I'm not doing so much. If I could only grow one thing in my garden it would have to be Tomatoes, there is no comparison to shop bought.

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  2. We are getting those tomatoes very cheaply just now. I have never tried drying them because I don't like the taste of commercial dried toms. I might try drying a few as you do.

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    Replies
    1. Many of the commercially dried tomatoes have all sorts of added extras which give them that strange taste. Mine above simply taste like concentrated tomato with olive oil. I would have thought your climate was PERFECT.

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    2. Exactly! Can't understand why my mother in law and that generation didn't dry tomatoes. They were doing it elsewhere in europe

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    3. Especially as you have a plentiful supply of Olive oil!

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  3. They look good, I like the idea of putting some oregano in the oil.

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    Replies
    1. Do yours have that same colour? Almost vibrant!

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    2. Slightly darker I think but a really intense flavour.

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  4. The ones drying out in the sun look anything but appetising, they look like a cobblers workshop. I like tomatoes but sun-dried in a jar are nothing but foreign muck foisted on us. They would do nothing for my meat and two veg and gravy or my ham salad with a hard-boiled egg and a lettuce. These things are gimmicks in the English supermarket that we happily never thought about in days gone by.

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    Replies
    1. Those expensive jars of Italian Factory-dried Toms contain all sorts of chemicals. If you tasted mine above, you'd see a totally different product.

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  5. Lovely and a great way of storing tomatoes when you can't eat them all fresh. I was wondering why you haven't sun dried your tomatoes before now ?!! XXXX

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    Replies
    1. I was saying exactly the same thing to Lady M this morning. It seems such an obvious thing to do, especially as I already do mushrooms.

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  6. Your sun is different from our English sun, which comes out every 5th day if we are lucky, and will refuse to show if we have a family day out planned. As for planned BBQ's forget the sun.

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    Replies
    1. I'm not too sure about that. This year we've all had the same sun; notable by its absence. Things can only get better.

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  7. Romas of course are the best toms to dry because they are so fleshy. The round varieties are so full of liquid and seed, they dry to nothing. I LOVE Romas and miss the ones my Hungarian neighbour Giselle used to grow. She planted out her entire section with them and sold them - my Dad used to bottle them. Happy Days.

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    Replies
    1. Mostly I grow tomatoes for either salads or bottling, so they tend to be the big Beefsteak/Marmande variety. I only have a couple of Roma plants which I'm now regretting. Nexrt year....

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  8. Replies
    1. I had to choose my days quite carefully; luckily the third day it was 32 C, so the process finished well.

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  9. Wonderful, our Romas are just now coming on heavy now.

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    Replies
    1. Do you sun-dry them? It's worth the trouble.

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  10. Sun-dried spring water is very popular here at the moment. It is very easily reconstituted and very light for transport from the source.

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    Replies
    1. I once invented powdered water, but couldn't find anything to mix it with.

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  11. Dear Cro, I spent this afternoon fishing wearing multiple layers and shivering. August is the first month of autumn in the UK, do not listen to the pundits. I remember a punch cartoon from my youth, two men walking through a rainstorm in July, with one saying to the other We are going to have a Mediterranean climate in 20 years...well it has not happened yet. Bring it on, I am sick to death of shivering through summer while anything vaguely warm blooded hides in the greenhouse.

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    Replies
    1. Need I say so, but that was one major reason why I came to live here 45 years ago. Our climate is nowhere near perfect, but it's a lot better. You have my commiserations, and may I remind you that you can fly down here with Ryanair for about 40 smackers!

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