Anyone dehydrating garden tomatoes?

[Roosterfish]

We've been canning forever, now just the 2 of us we've been blanching, skinning and freezing tomatoes.
I've gotten very curious about dehydrating simply for the storage part of it. I've heard that the tomatoes retain all of their flavor and goodness without the pretty huge effort required by other, traditional preserving methods, most of them with a shelf life.
Anyone tried this? Dehydrators can be a couple hundred bucks and I'm not "sold" enough for the investment yet.

 

[chowderman]

I do the freezing thing. never met a dehydrated tomato 'thing' I liked . . .
go to the store -you can probably find 'sun dried tomato' in a bag - try it . . .

 

[pixie]

I dry tomatoes very dry and then keep them in the freezer.

They turn a can of tomatoes into something fresh tasting and add a bit of thickening.

I don't like frozen stuff much and don't feel it keeps very long.

My dehydrator cost about $40 at Paris Farmers. ( probably more, now...)

 

[Melensdad]

We also dry tomatoes. I pack them in vacuum bags and freeze them.

We also 'can' tomatoes, but not every year.

The dried tomatoes (leathery not brittle) are also packed in olive oil and kept in the refrigerator.

 

[Roosterfish]

I dry tomatoes very dry and then keep them in the freezer.

They turn a can of tomatoes into something fresh tasting and add a bit of thickening.

I don't like frozen stuff much and don't feel it keeps very long.

My dehydrator cost about $40 at Paris Farmers. ( probably more, now...)

I have a PFU about 10 miles away! Dry and freeze sliced or whole? Do you re hydrate them before use ? I was hoping for what you mentioned that by just adding them to a can of cheap store sauce or whole tomatoes that they'd plump back up and you'd add the good flavor of your home grown.

 

[Roosterfish]

I do the freezing thing. never met a dehydrated tomato 'thing' I liked . . .
go to the store -you can probably find 'sun dried tomato' in a bag - try it . . .View attachment 163222

I'm thinking about it for tomato sauce for Italian type dinners, not to munch on. I have had dried sliced bananas before, pretty good snack.
I have a hard time thinking about eating a dried tomato, and I'm sure that my salt and pepper would fall off.😄

 

[pixie]

Sliced 1/4"+. Even slices = even drying.

I get them so dry they crumble. Just put them in with what you're making. I make lots of lasagna and just sprinkle them in with the other stuff.