Saving that abundance of cherry tomatoes!

Dehydrating is one of the oldest forms of food preservation and is very easy to do. Dehydration (drying) pulls out enough water from food to prevent spoilage. While it is possible to sun dry some foods, or even use your oven as a dehydrator, the simplest and most fool-proof method is to use an electric dehydrator. Plus it’s a easy and fun thing to with the kids. I’m not talking about putting the kids in there I’m talking about teaching the kids about food preservation and a healthy eating habit by making it fun!!

The steps for dehydrating cherry tomatoes are easy.  

1. 1. Wash your hands and clean all your utensils and trays.

   2. Preheat the dehydrator to 140°F.

   3. Rinse the tomatoes and remove the stems. 

   4. Cut tomatoes in half.

   5. Place tomatoes skin side down on a dehydrator tray. If you would like, you can sprinkle a little salt and pepper on them. We also like to add herbs from the garden on there like oregano, thyme and rosemary by stripping the leaves off the stem and sprinkling on. I’ve also heard of using sugar and cinnamon but haven’t tried that.

   6. Dry for 4 hours then we let it sit overnight and turn it on intermittently until done. Times may vary depending on the humidity and heat in your area.

   7. After about 4 hours, start checking them regularly. They are done when they are leathery or brittle.  If you want to grind them to make a powder, you will want them crispy.

What to do with your dried tomatoes:

They are tasty to eat alone as a snack. They can also be added to soups, sauces, and casseroles. If dried crisp, they can be ground up and used like tomato powder and use in pastas. We usually put them in a old coffee can and store them in the fridge to keep them fresher longer. The usually last about a year.