HOW TO REMOVE TOMATO PEELS
Heat a kettle of water to boiling. Carefully lower tomatoes into the boiling water. Remove with a slotted spoon to a colander, run cold tap water over the tomatoes to stop the heat process. Slip the peels off easily. Reserve the peels to dehydrate for tomato powder (instructions below).
DEHYDRATING TOMATO PEEL
When processing tomatoes, reserve the peels. Place those peels on a dehydrator sheet and dry 4 hours or until crisp. (set the dehydrator temperature to 125-145 or follow manufacturer instructions).
SOLAR DRYING TOMATOES
Tomatoes can be sun dried if you have a location where they can be left without disturbances. You will need to cover any food that is solar drying to prevent bugs. You can also use your car in summer to dehydrate. Just arrange the thin sliced tomatoes on a dehydrator sheet or parchment paper lined cooking sheet. Place in the car where it will receive the most sun. This can take as much as 12-24 hours, reliant on the inside temperature of the car. Before dark, remove the drying sheets to the house, so moisture does not cause rehydration, which will create mold. Place back in the vehicle the following morning when the dew has evaporated. Store in air tight containers.
Uses: Sun dried tomatoes are very expensive to purchase. You can use your sun-dried tomatoes in any recipe calling for those tomatoes, in addition you can grind them in your blender and mix with butter and herbs for an herbal butter spread.
TOMATO POWDER
Run the crisp peels through a food chopper until a fine powder. Funnel the powder into clean spice jars and cover with a lid. Store in the cupboard.
USES: Add a tablespoon or more to soups and stews or sprinkle on fresh salad greens. This is also very tasty sprinkled on scrambled eggs. Added to butter for a Tomato spread is flavorful and is great on fresh baked French bread.
Follow the link to make Fresh Herb tomato spaghetti sauce: justfowlingaround.weebly.com/from-the-pantry/fresh-tomato-spaghetti-sauce
Follow the link to make Creamy Country Tomato Soup:
justfowlingaround.weebly.com/from-the-pantry/creamy-country-tomato-soup
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