On Sat, 01 Oct 2005 07:43:34 -0400, Jim Elbrecht
wrote:

Persephone wrote:

-snip-
OK, OK, you guys (almost) have me talked into it. But my wall ovens
are kaput, and my toaster oven only goes down to 150.

I might be tempted to put a trouble light with a 100watt bulb in one
of those 'kaput' ovens. Crack the door.

Interesting approach!


a. Is that too high? What if i leave the door cracked open?

At 150 with the door cracked it should work.


b. If OK to proceed, how long do I leave the tomatoes in there?

Many variables-- but I'd put them in early on a day that you can
check them every couple hours. [if you only sleep 4-5 hours, you'll
probably be fine putting them in before you go to bed] Once they
get past a certain point they go from soft leather to flint very
quickly. I like mine best at the stiff leather stage. Halved
cherries have the advantage of being pretty uniform in size and having
skin attached to all pieces so it is easier to get a whole batch done
at once.


c. After they're done, how do I store them?

I store mine in a ziploc bag or canning jar. After a couple weeks
or so I put them in the freezer. The freezer might be an excess of
caution, but I would hate to lose a bagful to mold & I have the space
in my freezer. They keep for years in the freezer if they get lost.


More info here-
http://doityourself.com/fruits/dryingtomatoes.htm
[that slow-roasting looks yummy- but I think my tomatoes are done for
the season.]

and here-
http://www.ghorganics.com/Sun%20Dried%20Tomatoes.htm
Note that they use a 200 degree oven-- and place their halved cherries
with the sliced side down. I salt mine lightly & put them skin side
down so they don't stick.

Enjoy!
Jim

Muchas gracias, Jim, for all those good tips.

Once the little critters are dried, I assume it'll be
OK to email you a sample...no moisture to
disrupt the electronics...g

--

Persephone