We've sun dried tomatoes three times here on the farm. This year is the fourth time, and it's working beautifully. Our weather has been hot and the humidity has been low, so we got out the screen dryer and did the first batch: This year I kept the cut, vinegar-treated, de-seeded tomatoes inside on a wire rack overnight, then put them out in the morning. It took only two days outside for the tomatoes to get nice and leathery. We brought them in this morning and put them in sterile jars. We'll be doing more in a few days!
Mart, an alternative to outside sun drying is an electric food dryer. According to the directions I have read, 24 hours at 120 degrees will give you dried tomatoes. There are other uses for a dryer, so an electric one might be a good investment for those in humid climates, or those who lack sun/heat.
As a rule it is not this humid here. Usually it is hot and dry but this year has been an unusual one !
The tomatoes are treated before drying. I fill a small bowl with white vinegar, dip the cut tomatoes in the bowl, and then lay them on the drying rack. This year, thanks to the hail storm, we won't be having dried tomatoes, or any other tomatoes. There's always next season . . . .
