Italian Style Sun Dried Roma Tomatoes in EVO

Italian Style Sun Dried Roma Tomatoes in EVO

First, I cut the tomatoes in half and dried them. I sprinkled a little salt on them to speed the process. I dried them in a dehydrator and in the sun based on what the weather was doing. Once they were finished, I boiled them in a mixture of 8 ½ cups of filteres water and one cup of red wine vinegar for five minutes or so. Then I dried them in the dehydrator o a low setting for a few hours until they were pretty dry but still flexible. The drying process took a few days.

I packed the tomato halves into the jars along with a mixture of spices. One thing all of the jars got except for one as a bay leaf. The outlier got a kaffir lime leaf. Just wanted to see how well that translates. The jars all got a bit of smoked salt also. After that they got a bit of allspice, clove, black pepper, lemon pepper, thyme, oregano, chipotle powder, garlic powder or holy basil. Each jar was topped off with EVO. Tomatoes are acid so they can be canned without vinegar. I did put a bit of vinegar in to increase the acid content and lengthen the storage time. I left the jars out on the table for a week or so and added more oil in if needed. It’s not a bad idea to come back and check them later. I leave these for at least a month before I use them. Don’t add anything wet. Water is not a friend here.

These tomatoes can be used in pizzas in the winter after reconstituting in water for a bit. They can also be used to make sauces or they can be put on sandwiches. I usually give them a bit of cooking before I eat them.

Warning: Canning always has a bit of risk to it. Do your own research and keep your workspace clean and you should be just fine. This particular method isn’t actually canning. It is stored in oil so oxygen can’t get to it and ruin the flavor and it’s in a jar so it can’t become contaminated. When you remove something from the jar use a sterile spoon or fork and then push whatever is left down under the oil and put the lid back on. Don’t put something back in later...bad idea.

Here’s a link to the book that had the tomato ball idea. They have a good many other things you can try as well. It’s really pricey now. You might be able to find it on ebay too.
https://www.amazon.com/Deborah-Madison-Preserving-Traditional-Fermentation/dp/B00HTK304C/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3FU0G9NP4MOWU&keywords=preserving+food+deborah+madison&qid=1659502612&sprefix=preserving+food+deborah+madison%2Caps%2C136&sr=8-1