cyrnel

Tomatoes everywhere. Hot ones, cold ones, red, yellow, big ones, small ones. Tomatoes in my window, fridge, bags, spreading to neighbors... If you grow them you know the drill. I've always managed to disperse them to people at about the right rate to keep them from going to the flies. Not this year. They came on late and so are everyone else's.

Does anyone have a simple solution for salsa/canning/drying? I'll use that word "simple" again because of the production line effort I remember at my grandparents' home years ago.

Seems like a good year to try something different.

__________________
There are a vast number of people who are uninformed and heavily propagandized, but fundamentally decent. The propaganda that inundates them is effective when unchallenged, but much of it goes only skin deep. If they can be brought to raise questions and apply their decent instincts and basic intelligence, many people quickly escape the confines of the doctrinal system and are willing to do something to help others who are really suffering and oppressed." -Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media, p. 195

maleficent

Drying tomatoes
Now this works best with plum tomatoes, but other tomatoes it should be good on as well

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
Wash the tomatoes, and slice them about 1/4 inchish thick. No need to peel.
Lay the slices out on the baking sheet on parchment paper (not wax paper) making sure not to touch sides.
Place in the oven
The process takes about 8 - 12 hours... so check them often.. to make sure the edges aren't browning too much. and are drying
Rotate the trays every 2 hours or so to keep them uniform

Store in ziplock baggies in a cool dark place...


Next up - I'd make a sauce to freeze
Fill a large (3 to 4 quart) pan with diced fresh tomatoes. simmer over medium heat for 2 -3 hours w/ 1 cup red wine.
Add:
3 -5 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp oregano

With the fresh tomatoes- make gazpacho (i don't think this freezes well... so it's gotta be fresh

1 -2 lbs tomatoes
2 green or red bell pepper, chopped
1 english cucumber, chopped
4 cloves garlic
hanful parsley
handful basil
1 red or sweet onion, chopped
water if needed to thin out..

Put all ingredients in food processor and process til desired consistency (not ketchup like, but not salsa like either... smoothish... with some chunks
finish with a squeeze of lemon juice

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cyrnel

Ah, thank you Mal! I was reminded of a dehydrator we brought out of my mother's things and drove over to retrieve it. One of those ~20in round stacking units. Since then I've been a slicing fool. Now it's time to hunt up recipes and make sure I'm not over-cooking anything.

I'll try your sauce in the morning. It's something I should have done earlier; I go through gallons of store-bought stuff each year. Just never made the long-term step beyond a few salsa one-offs.

-Mr. Domestic-for-the-moment

__________________
There are a vast number of people who are uninformed and heavily propagandized, but fundamentally decent. The propaganda that inundates them is effective when unchallenged, but much of it goes only skin deep. If they can be brought to raise questions and apply their decent instincts and basic intelligence, many people quickly escape the confines of the doctrinal system and are willing to do something to help others who are really suffering and oppressed." -Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media, p. 195

robot_parade

I really like alton Brown's tomato sauce recipe - except that, like a lot of his recipes, it's a bit overcomplicated...

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci..._20175,00.html

I don't bother seeding the tomatoes, and just kind of moosh them up since I don't have a food mill anymore (it didn't survive making baby food for the 4th kid... ;-))

but it still turns out pretty darn good.

That said, mal's recipe sounds really good - the cuke's would make for an interesting flavor combo.

How are English cuke's different from 'normal' ones?

pornclerk

You could always just freeze them until you are ready to use them. Tomatoes freeze pretty well.

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Ch'i

Pack your bags and go to Europe for Spain's annual Tomato Fight.


Edit: Apologies. I've been having a similar problem with my tomato plants. I've been eating two-three a day raw, with some pepper, and trying out some new recipes. The most recent wasn't very good (Roasted garlic & sundried tomato bread), but when I find one I'll be sure to post it.

snowy

Send them to me...

No, seriously...I spent about $10 on tomatoes this last weekend at our Saturday farmer's market. Bought a bunch of really beautiful heirloom tomatoes and a couple giant beefsteaks. Mmm, tasty. To tell you the truth, I'm quite excited because THIS Saturday the OSU Extension Service is running a tomato tasting at the market.

Anyways, here's a recipe that ran in the local paper a couple weeks ago, and it seems the Register-Guard printed it too:

http://www.registerguard.com/news/20...section=entree

I'm going to try it with some of my tomatoes.

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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

cyrnel

Snowy, if I hadn't given away a full paper bag of them in the last couple days you'd get a pile. After drying ~25 today I'm hoping to have enough ready tomorrow for a useful batch of sauce. Gawd, I'm about to go repossess a few.

My heirlooms did nothing but soak up water this year. Hate that.

I just sampled a few that came out of the dehydrator and they are *kaboom* nuclear tomato flavor. Try it if you haven't already.

That recipe sounds good. Roasting, mmmm.

__________________
There are a vast number of people who are uninformed and heavily propagandized, but fundamentally decent. The propaganda that inundates them is effective when unchallenged, but much of it goes only skin deep. If they can be brought to raise questions and apply their decent instincts and basic intelligence, many people quickly escape the confines of the doctrinal system and are willing to do something to help others who are really suffering and oppressed." -Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media, p. 195

maleficent

English cukes have an unwaxed skin that doesn't need peeling, it's much thinner and delicate than a regular cuke. and the seeds are much less plentiful and edible...

Gazpacho is a soup, not a sauce. Spanish I think...

I utterly detest cambells tomato soup - but I love gazpacho because it's cold and the tomatoes are so fresh but theother veggies give it some added flavor...

you could also add a jalapeno to it for some extra kick

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cyrnel

Hey, this is kind of fun. I've bagged three quarts of dried tomatoes now and two quarts of lemon cucumbers. Things certainly come out smaller than they start.

One thing I've learned is that when they suggest 1/4 inch slices, that doesn't mean "up to 1/4 inch." It means 1/4 inch or more. Sure, the thin stuff dries quickly but those little random tomato slivers are an absolute flaming *bitch* to get off the dryer shelves.

Looking forward to another dozen or so ripe tomatoes so I can try the roasting recipe. Thanks Snowy.

Yea, okay. I'm a chick.

__________________
There are a vast number of people who are uninformed and heavily propagandized, but fundamentally decent. The propaganda that inundates them is effective when unchallenged, but much of it goes only skin deep. If they can be brought to raise questions and apply their decent instincts and basic intelligence, many people quickly escape the confines of the doctrinal system and are willing to do something to help others who are really suffering and oppressed." -Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media, p. 195

Hanxter

gazpacho can be frozen...

6 medium tomatoes, peeled, cored, and chopped
5 cups vegetable juice, or 40 ounces canned
2 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

combine all ingredients and toss until the vegetables are evenly coated with oil, vinegar, and herbs

pour into two 1 1/2-quart freezer containers - seal, label, and freeze for up to 3 months

thaw in the refrigerator overnight and store chilled - will keep for 3 days thawed in the refrigerator

16 ounce tumbler, cracked, not crushed, ice, 3 ounces (or a good 6 count) your fave vodka, the rest, the gaz, lemon wedge and celery stalk or green olives skewered on a toothpick

your welcome... pass the tip jar, please...