Hey y'all.
A couple of weeks ago I was visiting with my dear sweet ma and she mentioned how she is just over run in tomato's. She grows about 50 times more than she can use and she wanted me to drive up to her place in Arkansas and take a couple of bushels off of her hands. Well I love tomato's as much as anyone but what am I going to do with 2 bushels? I'm not a canner. So what, freeze 'em? My freezer is already jam packed with chile's, veggies, seafood, other crap. I have no room for anything else anywhere!
So a few days ago in the afternoon I go out to my truck. A cold front must have come through here in north Texas as it was only 109 outside but as I opened the door to the truck I was immediately body slammed by a giant super nova of hot air. Geez Louise! My first thought was holy chingao!!! I could cook a steak on the dang dashboard! Then after that thought, the pea in my noggin' started spinning out of control and then it hit me...I could sheet pan up a heap of tomato's and sun dry them right here in the truck!!
Now as I said, I love tomato's. I 'specially like to be liking sun dried tomato's. But I also know that they're not really sun dried but simply dehydrated. I love getting the ones jarred in olive oil and use the oil when cooking. Great stuff! Only problem is that sheeit ain't cheap! Next time you're at the store check the price's on sun dried's. Its frikken crazy!
So I'm in the local Try-N-Save the other day and I see some great looking Roma's on sale for .99 cents a pound. That's not bad for north Texas so I decided I'd get 4 or 5 pounds and do some experimentation in The Blues Kitchen.
I decided first that I would start some drying in my truck to see how that goes. Then concurrently I though I could start some in my Mini-Chief smoker, but with just a touch of smoke, as I wanted to mostly just dehydrate them.
So I got them all washed and hand wiped as much of that spray cheese crap they put on them off.
Then I cut 'em all in half. Most of them went onto the smoker racks.
This rack was going on the dashboard of the truck.
I laid an old towel on the dash for a little protection just in case any tomato's have a blowout from the heat.
Dang. 8 hours in on the smoker and they are chuggin' right along.
For what took only 8 hours in the smoker, this is at the 24 hour mark in the truck, for the same result. Only half way there.
And now the smoker tom's are perfect after 20 hours in the smoker.
As you can imagine, I couldn't help but sample a few. I find no difference in quality compared to any sun dried tomato I have bought either pre-packaged or in bulk out of the bins at the hippy store. Mine just might be even better since I didn't use any preservatives. And they taste incredible.
I lost track of just how many I shoved in my pie hole and ate.
So I shoved a bunch of them in a Ball 1/2 pinter with some whole garlic cloves and a few japones and topped them up with olive oil. I reckon I'll wait a week before I try them.
I am digging them so much I went and got another 5 pounds of Roma's to do up another batch.
The truck tom's are still going and blowing and I'm anxious to see how them come out but thus far they are looking good!
So next time dear old ma wants to give me a truck load of tomato's, I won't refuse. I'll take all that she'll give me and then some. I reckon I'll jar up a few in olive oil and vacuum pack the rest.
To be continued....
A couple of weeks ago I was visiting with my dear sweet ma and she mentioned how she is just over run in tomato's. She grows about 50 times more than she can use and she wanted me to drive up to her place in Arkansas and take a couple of bushels off of her hands. Well I love tomato's as much as anyone but what am I going to do with 2 bushels? I'm not a canner. So what, freeze 'em? My freezer is already jam packed with chile's, veggies, seafood, other crap. I have no room for anything else anywhere!
So a few days ago in the afternoon I go out to my truck. A cold front must have come through here in north Texas as it was only 109 outside but as I opened the door to the truck I was immediately body slammed by a giant super nova of hot air. Geez Louise! My first thought was holy chingao!!! I could cook a steak on the dang dashboard! Then after that thought, the pea in my noggin' started spinning out of control and then it hit me...I could sheet pan up a heap of tomato's and sun dry them right here in the truck!!
Now as I said, I love tomato's. I 'specially like to be liking sun dried tomato's. But I also know that they're not really sun dried but simply dehydrated. I love getting the ones jarred in olive oil and use the oil when cooking. Great stuff! Only problem is that sheeit ain't cheap! Next time you're at the store check the price's on sun dried's. Its frikken crazy!
So I'm in the local Try-N-Save the other day and I see some great looking Roma's on sale for .99 cents a pound. That's not bad for north Texas so I decided I'd get 4 or 5 pounds and do some experimentation in The Blues Kitchen.
I decided first that I would start some drying in my truck to see how that goes. Then concurrently I though I could start some in my Mini-Chief smoker, but with just a touch of smoke, as I wanted to mostly just dehydrate them.
So I got them all washed and hand wiped as much of that spray cheese crap they put on them off.
Then I cut 'em all in half. Most of them went onto the smoker racks.
This rack was going on the dashboard of the truck.
I laid an old towel on the dash for a little protection just in case any tomato's have a blowout from the heat.
Dang. 8 hours in on the smoker and they are chuggin' right along.
For what took only 8 hours in the smoker, this is at the 24 hour mark in the truck, for the same result. Only half way there.
And now the smoker tom's are perfect after 20 hours in the smoker.
As you can imagine, I couldn't help but sample a few. I find no difference in quality compared to any sun dried tomato I have bought either pre-packaged or in bulk out of the bins at the hippy store. Mine just might be even better since I didn't use any preservatives. And they taste incredible.
I lost track of just how many I shoved in my pie hole and ate.
So I shoved a bunch of them in a Ball 1/2 pinter with some whole garlic cloves and a few japones and topped them up with olive oil. I reckon I'll wait a week before I try them.
I am digging them so much I went and got another 5 pounds of Roma's to do up another batch.
The truck tom's are still going and blowing and I'm anxious to see how them come out but thus far they are looking good!
So next time dear old ma wants to give me a truck load of tomato's, I won't refuse. I'll take all that she'll give me and then some. I reckon I'll jar up a few in olive oil and vacuum pack the rest.
To be continued....
