How do you sun-dry a tomato? Can you do it yourself at home?

I absolutely love sun-dried tomatoes, and once i've got my vegetable patch sorted, i intend to grow at least 3 types of tomato - large salad toms, cherry, and plum. I'd like to have a go at sun-drying the plum tomatoes myself, but having looked at a commercial site, there seems to be more involved than i thought - something to do with sulpher? If anyone has successfully sun-dried their own toms without too much bother, i'd love to hear form you. Cheers :)

How do you sun-dry a tomato? Can you do it yourself at home?
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Sun-Dried Tomatoes



Part 1: Make your own and save money



Normally, the thought of dried food does not bring to mind a gourmet meal. However, a relatively small amount of sun-dried tomatoes gives a gourmet touch and a burst of flavor to a variety of recipes. Easy to make, store, and use at home, this is an item you may wish to consider a staple in your pantry.



Sun-dried tomato history

Before modern canning methods were available, Italians dried tomatoes on their tile roofs for use in winter when fresh tomatoes were not an option. Nowadays, sun-dried tomatoes (pomodori secchi in Italian) are not as popular in Italy as they are in America, where they are mostly relegated to antipasto or as a flavor-booster for sauce. These dried concentrated vessels of flavor have enjoyed a popularity boost in the United States in the past couple of decades, initially as a gourmet item but fast becoming a favorite of home cooks.



Homemade sun-dried tomatoes

Although prices have come down in recent years, it's still worthwhile to make your own at home, particularly if you have a tomato garden. The basic process is easy enough. Most prefer to begin with Roma tomatoes, as there are less seeds and a higher ratio of flesh, but you can use any type of tomato, including cherry varieties. Choose tomatoes of a uniform size so they dry at the same rate.



Simply slice tomatoes in half, place on a raised screen, lightly sprinkle with salt and optional herbs, and place in the hot sun until dry. Depending on your weather conditions, this could take anywhere from four days to two weeks. You'll want to cover them with cheesecloth, raised so it does not touch the tomatoes, to keep out any critters and provide proper ventilation. You will also need to bring them in during the night, lest the evening dew undo your drying process. Plan on 10 standard tomatoes to get one ounce of dried tomatoes.



If the old-fashioned method sounds too time-consuming, you'll be happy to know you can achieve the same lusty results with an oven-method or a dehydrator in a fraction of the time. You'll find more detailed recipe instructions in the sun-dried tomatoes recipe collection further in this article.



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Reply:I had a recipe for this where you cut the tomatoes into 1/4 and put them in a slow oven for hours.



I found a similar one here:

For the semi-dried tomatoes:

350g cherry tomatoes, halved

2 garlic cloves, finely sliced

1 tsp Thyme

extra virgin olive oil

coarse sea salt





2. Meanwhile, make the semi-dried tomatoes. Preheat oven to 110°C/gas 1/4. Scatter sea salt on a shallow roasting try. Place the tomatoes cut side up on the sea salt . Sprinkle with the chopped garlic and thyme . Drizzle with the 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Place in the oven and leave for 2- 3 hours until semi-dry. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Reply:Simply slice tomatoes in half, place on a raised screen, lightly sprinkle with salt and optional herbs, and place in the hot sun until dry. Depending on your weather conditions, this could take anywhere from four days to two weeks. You'll want to cover them with cheesecloth, raised so it does not touch the tomatoes, to keep out any critters and provide proper ventilation. You will also need to bring them in during the night, lest the evening dew undo your drying process. Plan on 10 standard tomatoes to get one ounce of dried tomatoes.



or



Ingredients

5 pounds (2.5 kg) Roma (oval) tomatoes

Fine sea Salt



Instructions

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. (100 degrees C.; gas mark 1), or the lowest setting possible. Remove the oven racks.



Trim and discard the stem ends of the tomatoes. Halve each tomato lengthwise. Arrange the tomatoes, cut side up, side by side and crosswise on cake racks set on the oven racks. Do not allow the tomatoes to touch one another. Sprinkle lightly with salt.



Place in the oven and bake until the tomatoes are shriveled and feel dry, anywhere from 6 to 12 hours. Check the tomatoes from time to time: They should remain rather flexible, not at all brittle. Once dried, remove the tomatoes from the oven and allow them to thoroughly cool on cake racks. (Smaller tomatoes will dry more quickly than larger ones. Remove each tomato from the oven as it is dried.)



Transfer the tomatoes to zipper-lock bags. The tomatoes will last indefinitely.



Yield: 2 cups (500 ml)
Reply:see this is question that you need to now yourself i mean different people have different taste so it is all upto you