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After my husband and I decided to take up vegetable gardening on a regular basis, we knew we would need to get inventive with our harvest so nothing would go to waste, and so we could enjoy it throughout the year. Last year, aside from all of our usual pickles, jams, and baked goods, I used a food dehydrator for the very first time, and it was a huge success! I was able to dehydrate all sorts of things, like peppers, assorted fruits, and homegrown tomatoes, and it all turned out really well.
Out of all the foods we were able to dehydrate, the tomatoes were my favorite. They became chewy and intensely flavored, making them a great snack to take to work and munch on throughout the day. You can also grind them with a little water to make your own paste, or rehydrate and sprinkle them over your pizzas and pastas for added texture and color. And because I enjoyed our dehydrated tomatoes so much last year, I’ve decided to prepare more jars this year to give to our friends and family as a little harvest gift.
To make your own dehydrated tomatoes:
1. De-stem your tomatoes and rinse under water to remove dirt and debris.
2. Slice your tomatoes ¼-inch thick. Try to make your slices as uniform as possible. If you’re using small tomatoes, slice them in half and place them on your rack with the sliced side facing upward.
3. Place sliced tomatoes on the dehydrator tray with plenty of room between each slice.
4. Sprinkle with salt (optional).
5. Set the temperature to around 135 degrees F, and dehydrate for 15-20 hours (check them after 10 hours, and every few hours after).
Alternately, you can oven dry your tomatoes if you don’t own a food dehydrator.
To store your dehydrated tomatoes, allow them to cool completely before packing into jars. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4-6 months, or in the freezer (in freezer bags) for up to a year.
For more information on dehydrating fruits and vegetables, visit the National Center for Home Food Preservation website. To decorate my jars, I used black and red tags and labels in the style Rococo.
Helpful Links
- Jar Labels • I chose the “Rococo” style in black and red.
- Oval Tags • I chose the “Rococo” style in black and red.
More Homemade Gift Ideas from Lindsay Jewell…
Shop Our Food/Craft Collection:
• Food/craft labels
• Food/craft tags
• Canning Labels
Lindsay is a writer/blogger from Oregon who loves crafting, cooking, gardening, and simple living. You can find her writing about all of this and more on her blog A Wooden Nest.
These look amazing! I could pop them like candy- SO colorful!
Do these have to store in the fridge or freezer or are they pantry safe?
Hi Cindy,
Store in the refrigerator for up to 4-6 months, or in the freezer (in freezer bags) for up to a year.
Hope that helps,
Lindsay
Yum…..tomatoes are one of my favorite foods ! These dried tomatoes could be used for so much ! I love the sun dried tomatoes…….do these taste the same ? Would like to use them on pepperoni pizzas !
I’ve you ever try to dry them with a little pesto on them? Cause I really like pesto and I was just asking if it could be done…Thank you for the great tip!
I’ve never tried, though I think it might be delicious to jar them with pesto. 🙂
I have been dehydrating my Better Boy tomatoes (beefsteak type) and have people standing in line for them!
I slice my tomatoes and put them in a mixing bowl to gently toss a tblsp. of olive oil on them. Then I place them on the screens and lightly sprinkle them with Trader Joes 21 Salute seasoning.
I dry my tomatoes at 125 degrees instead of 135. I find at 135 there is a slight bitterness from too high a temperature.
The result of these techniques is like a little bite of pizza in your mouth!!
Ooh, thanks Anne. I’ll definitely try that this year. Your technique sounds amazing.
Anne how do you store your tomatoes after they are dehydrated?
Easy! thank you.