Dehydrating Tomatoes

To preserve the harvest, especially as

the tomatoes are winding down and

we don't have enough to can at one time,

I slip them into the dehydrator as they ripen.

This is a Cherokee Purple with deep red

flesh and a reddish-purplish cast to the skin.

I have several other non-paste varieties which 

I have sliced about 1/4 inch thick and lined on

the dehydrator sheets so they are not touching.

They will greatly reduce in thickness and look difficult to remove.

To do so, I fold the sheet up just a little

so the sides begin to peel off the sheet

and then pluck them up as they begin to break loose.

Although I still had a single sheet of peppers dehydrating, 

I just added the rest of the trays with tomatoes and 

kicked up the temperature a slight notch.

I store the tomatoes in either sealed tubs

that have a gasket lined lid or in large screw top

tubs, the same as I do with dried potatoes.  

The flavor is very intense.  These are plain but 

you could add spices or herbs to flavor them and then

 grab a couple to put into soups, munch by themselves

or add to pastas, salads, pizza or for bruchetta.

The next batch of tomatoes is in the dehydrator and 

we still have more peppers to pick so the season is far from done.  

I'll have my sage and rosemary to add to the mix before frost comes as well.