Sun dried tomatoes - various questions

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Sun dried tomatoes - various questions

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Mutton

Joined: 09 May 2009
Posts: 1508

Posted: Sun Dec 13, 09 11:57 am Post subject: Sun dried tomatoes - various questions

At the old house we had a big greenhouse and grew lots of tomatoes and bottled them. Infinitely superior to tinned tomatoes. We are most of the way there building a big greenhouse here at our new house, so will have more tomatoes than we can eat raw once again next summer. Yay. (or that's the plan).

Anyway, being rather more conscious of how much electricity we use these days, started looking into sun drying rather than bottling.

Sun dried tomato flavour
Bought a packet the other week to try out the flavour, not having previously bought this expensive food. Summary - alright I guess. These were bagged by our local grocers, produce of Turkey. Very salty - more so than say ready salted crisps, and quite sharp. Not really edible straight from the packet, OK as chopped bits in a thick pancake, first pass at using them in an onion and tomato sauce rather salty. Second pass used different recipe and soaked them overnight. That was a better result (tipped in all the soaking water as they were now short on flavour).
Conclusion - our home bottled tomatoes were a much better flavour.
So questions on flavour
Q1. Were the sun dried tomatoes I bought poor quality ones?
Q2. Does anyone here do sun dried tomatoes and bottled tomatoes from their own garden and how do the flavours compare?
Q3. How little salt can you get away with using?

Sun drying tomatoes
Still thinking of giving it a go, as home done stuff can be better than shop bought. Also, it should be less effort than bottling and in theory no electricity at all. The cunning plan is to:

1. Make a fly proof meat safe.
2. Stand said meat safe in the greenhouse (where it should be quite hot and not get rained on) and put the cut in half tomatoes for sun drying on racks inside the meat safe.

Q4 Anyone else done sundried tomatoes this way?

ksia

Joined: 17 May 2006
Posts: 2320
Location: Mayenne, France

Posted: Sun Dec 13, 09 1:51 pm Post subject:

Hi Mutton,

It's great you've had loads of tomatoes !

ia made me this 'cupboard' this year so I could sun dry tomatoes naturally.

Unfortunately we never had enough tomatoes to warrant moving the cupboard from the kitchen, great for raising bread, to the sunshine outside. Or perhaps need 2, an indoor and outdoor one...I should mention that to him!
I also thought it might need to stand in the greenhouse but not sure. Hope I'll get chance to try it next year!

Most of our tomatoes got put into dishes for the freezer this year. We have bottled in the past and given a deluge of toms will again. Definitely superior flavour with your own.

Shop sundried toms do taste strong but I've not noticed salty - I wasn't intending to use salt when I do it.

Like you I'd really like to cut down on the processing so am keen to try it , though loath to waste any tomatoes in experimenting!

Mutton

Joined: 09 May 2009
Posts: 1508

Posted: Sun Dec 13, 09 6:04 pm Post subject:
Beautifully finished cabinet. Are all the faces glazed? Or do some have ventilation through for the water coming off the tomatoes?

SimonD

Joined: 09 Dec 2009
Posts: 26
Location: Devon

Posted: Sun Dec 13, 09 6:08 pm Post subject:
Like the cabinet, very impressive!

ksia

Joined: 17 May 2006
Posts: 2320
Location: Mayenne, France

Posted: Mon Dec 14, 09 5:23 pm Post subject:

Mutton wrote:

Or do some have ventilation through for the water coming off the tomatoes?

The back is wood with grill top and bottom for ventilation.

Glad you like it, I find it so useful for others things too!

Mutton

Joined: 09 May 2009
Posts: 1508

Posted: Mon Dec 14, 09 9:27 pm Post subject:
Is it built around oven shelves? Incidentally - the mesh leaning against the side - are those queen excluders?

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