DEHYDRATING: Tomatoes

Continuing on with "Tomato Week", we present another method of preserving your harvest! Dehydrating is probably the simplest way to preserve tomatoes. Dehydrated tomatoes are surprisingly versatile, too!

Preserving tomatoes through dehydration is extremely simple. They take up less storage space per pound, and are excellent for outdoorsmen who wish to make their own dry mix meals.

RAW TOMATOES:

Paste tomatoes are recommended, but any variety can be used. The juicier, the longer they will take to dehydrate. You may wish to use screen inserts for easier removal and clean up.

1. Thoroughly wash tomatoes before processing. 
2. Slice tomatoes 1/8" thick. Too thin, and they will be near impossible to remove from trays, too thick and they will not dehydrate evenly.
3. Arrange slices in a single layer on dehydrator trays leaving a sliver of space between each slice to allow for air flow.
4. Set dehydrator to 130 degrees for approximately 16-20 hours, depending on type of tomato.
5. They are done when they feel dry to the touch, and just slightly pliable. It is imperative all moisture is removed, or they are liable to mold.

Dehydrated tomatoes can be stored in jars in a cool, dark, dry place. Recycled pickle jars are just fine. They may be stored for a longer period of time by adding a food safe Oxygen Absorber into the jar. Mylar bags or vacuum sealed packets will work as well.

To reconstitute dried tomatoes, simply submerge the slices in warm water for about 10-15 minutes. Use as you would fresh tomatoes in recipes. Not recommended for topping sandwiches and burgers.

TOMATO SAUCE:

Tomato Sauce and Spaghetti Sauce can also be dehydrated. In order to dehydrate sauce, you will need "Fruit Roll Sheets" or parchment paper.

1. If you are dehydrating chunky spaghetti sauce, process in a blender until smooth.
2. Place Fruit Roll Sheets or parchment paper into dehydrator trays.
3. Spread a thin layer of sauce upon each sheet as evenly as possible. Roughly 1/16" thick.
4. Set dehydrator to 130 degrees for about 10-12 hours. About halfway through, turn the tomato leathers over to facilitate even drying. When it is done, tomato leather should be dry to the touch, and a tad pliable. 
5. When it is done, tomato leather should be dry to the touch, and a tad pliable (much like "Fruit Roll-Ups snacks"). Peel leathers from sheets and process in a blender until powdered. 

Dehydrated sauce is stored in the same manner as raw dehydrated tomatoes (see above).

To reconstitute sauce, pour 1/2 c. hot water over 3 Tbsp. powdered sauce. Use reconstituted tomato sauce as you would canned sauce in recipes. Tomato powder can also be used as-is in homemade soups and sauces.

If you're an outdoorsmen looking for recipes for DIY dry mix meals, there are 83 pages worth in "The Dehydrator Bible " by MacKenzie, Nutt and Mercer. Some examples include: various pancakes and oatmeals, soups, chili, pasta and rice dishes. 

We use the Nesco Snackmaster Pro Food Dehydrator FD-75A. When purchasing a dehydrator, be sure it has an adjustable thermostat.  

RECIPE: Mushroom Spaghetti Sauce

Continuing with our tomato theme this week, we'd need to make something from all that tomato puree we've made with our food mill, right? Naturally, homegrown tomatoes make for some excellent pasta sauce!

INGREDIENTS:

1 Yellow Onion, chopped
6 Cloves Garlic, minced
3 lbs. Mushrooms, sliced
1 Green Pepper, diced
18 c. Tomato Puree
3 Tbsp. Beef Bouillon
3 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning
1 Tbsp. Oregano
1 Tbsp. Basil
1 tsp. Cayenne
1 Bay Leaf
1 tsp. Sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste

PREPARATION:

Combine ingredients in a large stock pot, simmer uncovered for 90 minutes, or until thickened to desired consistency. Fill sterile pint jars with hot sauce. Process in a pressure cooker for 20 mins at 11 lbs. pressure.

Makes about 6 pints of home canned sauce.

REVIEW: Norpro 1951 "The Original" Sauce Master and 1954SS Salsa Screen

Processing a large batch of tomatoes for canning salsa, sauce, or juice or apples for sauce and cider can be a daunting, time consuming task. With the help of the Sauce Master, you can cut processing time by half or more!

Click to view product on Amazon.com

When planting 50+ paste tomato plants every spring, you can certainly expect hours and hours of work in the kitchen, hanging over boiling stock pots full of thickening sauce and steamy hot bath canners. That's the least of it! In the past, the vast majority of man hours were consumed peeling, seeding, and chopping before processing even began. Not anymore! We purchased our Norpro 1951 "The Original" Sauce Master, along with the Norpro 1954SS "The Original" Salsa Screen attachment, last summer in anticipation of a huge tomato harvest. It has been one of the best kitchen aid investments we've made!

The Sauce Master comes equipped with a standard fine mesh screen and spiral, which is designed to handle tomatoes or apples. When using it to process tomatoes, the Sauce Master separates seeds and skins from pulp and juice. Simply rough chop the them, throw them into the hopper and crank the handle. Apples will need to be peeled, cored, rough chopped and simmered. I recommend the Norpro Apple Master for large batches of apples. Peels potatoes, too!.

Assembly is easy, even for those of us who aren't mechanically inclined. The base, table clamp, crank are made from heavy duty metal. Screens are constructed of chrome-steel. The hopper, plunger, spiral and sauce chute are constructed from plastic. The Sauce Master includes a detailed Assembly/Instruction and Recipe Manual. Click here to view it as a PDF file, and examine construction.

It is fairly easy to operate, although the processing goes much more quickly if one person fills the hopper and plunges, while the other cranks. The smaller you chop the tomatoes, the slightly easier it is to crank. You will find it easier to crank while using the Salsa Screen , as it has much larger holes through which the pulp and some of the seeds can pass through. Some people blanch and remove skins first, we didn't. You may also find yourself occasionally having to tighten the table clamp with rigorous cranking.

Speaking of the Salsa Screen , I highly recommend purchasing it if you intend on making salsa or chunky applesauce. The standard screen creates puree, which I personally find to be great for Spaghetti Sauce, but not so much for a good dipping salsa. We were very pleased with the texture of the finished product. Additionally, you may purchase a Berry Screen , Pumpkin Screen , and a Grape Spiral for making jams, juices, and pie fillings.

In action, using optional Salsa Screen.

I will be honest in saying there are a few drawbacks, the first being the mess. There's really no way around a mess with large batches of tomatoes, but it's imperative that you remember to chop the tomatoes before stuffing the hopper, or the screen/spiral will clog. It is quite sloppy to remove, clean, and reattach it after you've begun processing. Secondly, be vigilant of the seeds and skins. They have a tendency to fall into your sauce/juice bowl if your receptacles aren't positioned well. The Norpro Sauce Master II corrected this design problem by adding a small, elongated guide attachment where the seeds and skins are deposited. It also helps to use a short, rectangular receptacle (glass baking dish works well) to collect the sauce/juice. It can be tricky attempting to wedge a large mixing bowl under the sauce chute.

BOTTOM LINE: 4 of 5 Stars. An absolute necessity for large batch processing of tomatoes for salsa, spaghetti sauce, and juice. I would, however, recommend going with the Norpro Sauce Master II with the improved seed/skins elimination attachment for ease of use.