I don’t relish canning. It seems like I wear myself out (to the point that I can’t manage dinner prep) and mess my kitchen up (to the point that I need to mop). Happily, I have discovered the perfect solution to my dilemma: what I call “V8 Powder“. It is easy to make, full of nutrition, compact to store, and easy to hide greens and other great veggies in!
It’s simple: just dry tomato slices, plus kale leaves, parsley, collards, swiss chard, and any other super nutritious veggies that you have in your garden, in a food dryer. Then blend them in the blender to form a powder you can use to make tomato products.
Here’s how to make it:
Wash and slice tomatoes about 1/2″ thick, (any thinner sticks to the tray). Slice the top and bottom skin off thinly, so that the raw edge is exposed. Lay them touching each other (but not overlapping) on the food dryer trays. To add greens, wash and trim out the thick central rib on swiss chard and kale. Collards, spinach and other veggies do not need to be trimmed. Lay loosely on dryer trays. You can also add onions, carrots, or any other vegetables you would like.
Set the food dryer thermostat to 120 degrees, and let it do the work. I put mine in my laundry room where it warms up the room a bit and keeps the low hum out of the already noisy family living area. I don’t worry too much about it, but check it after a day (approximately 12 to 24 hours). You can’t overdry, so whenever you get to them is fine. When the veggies are crisply dry, let them cool thoroughly. Then, put them in the blender and blend them into a smooth powder.
Store the powder in a glass jar, for a year in your cupboard with maximum nutrition content. If you store it in a cool, dark place, it will retain the most. If you want it to last longer, you could put an oxygen packet in the top of the jar before putting on a canning lid and ring. The oxygen packet will displace the air and seal the jar for better freshness.
Wow, I feel liberated! I am making a batch a day with my garden produce without putting out much effort. I just smile thinking of all that garden-fresh nutrition just waiting to be added to soups or stews or pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce when the garden is long gone and the snow is on the ground!
7 cups of tomatoes dries down into 1 cup of tomato powder
To use your power-packed nutrient powder, just follow this chart:
*Thanks to Rhonda Hair for the idea of drying tomatoes and for the great reconstitution charts above!
You might also enjoy: Dry That Garden!
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I'd sure love to hear your comment!
What a great idea. I've been drying tomatoes for years, but had never heard of powdering them for reconstituting into sauces later. Where have I been? We like them whole on pizzas (soak first), in bits on salads, crushed and added to sauces for extra flavor, and ground with almonds for a dip with mayonaise and seasonings. They aslo are the basis for a delicious tempanade. Time to go slice some more and fill up those trays. This time I'm adding greens.
I didn't have a garden this year, but I do have a food dryer. What a wonderful idea. I think I will be experimenting this weekend.
OH!! Another use for Tomato Powder! I already dry the extra greens and blend then to use as seasoning for anything from casseroles to spaghetti sauce, but yum! Making your own V-8 juice! Yum!!
I just found a good source of molasses by the gallon– my downfall- Molasses cookies!
Thanks.!
GREAT idea!!! My garden is done for the year but I am so excited to try this next year! I will also share your post with my Mom, I think she will love it too! Why haven't we been doing this for years? It seems like a much better way to put away tomatoes, and with the added bonus of being free to add whatever healthy super foods one so desires! So excited! Thank you so much for sharing!
My initial reaction was "Wow! That is Cool!"
What a great idea– I had been feeling so guilty about leaving the late tomatoes on the vines as my canning was already done and I didn't want to lug everything out again. I now have the food dehydrator loaded with tomatoes and the kitchen smells wonderful!
Just a note– I found the most wonderful thing this year. I despise spending money on canning lids every year and have always wished for a reusable lid. Come to find out, they've been available for a long time! They are made by a company called Tattler and they are WONDERFUL. The website is http://www.reusablecanninglids.com
I wish I had found these years ago.
What a great idea! I know Rhonda Hair, she is one of my dear friends! She is very creative and resourceful! Such a small world we live in. I will have to try this out. Thanks for sharing.
Are you kidding me. I never new about this and have been wondering how to "store" garden fresh tomatoes etc when I have no room for jars and jars of "canned" product. Thank you soooo much. I can now completely justify getting a dehydrator. Any suggestions on the best one to purchase anyone?
I just wrote an email telling about my favorite one, if you are interested:
http://www.lovetolearn.net/email_special/index182.lasso
You can see my favorite food dryer here: http://www.lovetolearn.net/catalog/index.lasso?page=hits&q=11756
Have fun! My dryer is going right now, all loaded up with kale, parsley and tomatoes!
I've been drying tomatoes for years, but I've always simmered the dried ones and then blended them for sauce–your idea is much simpler!
One question, though–I seem to scorch a lot of my tomatoes, even though I try to watch them while they're drying. I had a batch in for about 24 hours and they weren't quite done, so I turned it down from 120 to 95 for 4 more hours, and many of them scorched… help!
If you leave them too long in the dryer, they will scorch. About 24 hours at 120 degrees is the correct timing. If you cut them 1/2" thick, they are easier to take off the dryer tray, plus they don't get so thin when they dry that they end up scorching. It only seems to be the very thin ones that scorch. If you have a dryer that has temperature controls, it is better. My dryer is going right now! I have mint leaves in it that i will use for making mint tea in the winter. Best success!
Is there a difference between "mint" and regular tea?
How dry do they need to be? Some of my slices get crisp without scorching, but some scorch before they are even dry… I just had some scorch with the dryer set at 95 degrees, blowing cool air… ?
Mint tea is just mint leaves from the garden that have been dried and crumbled. Add them to boiling water and let steep to make an herbal tea. Yummy!
What a splendid idea! What about adding eggplant, and doing a ratatouille seasoning for a souffle?
Vegetable powders can also be tasty sprinkled over popcorn. Fruit powders too! I've been wanting to try "mexican popcorn" with tomato powder and taco seasoning. Sounds like a wonderful treat.
I have a question on dehydrating tomatoes. I put them in dehydrator for over 24 hours and they seeed pretty crisp. So I removed them and let them cool. I wanted to make a few more batches before blending them, so I put them in a container to wait. Today I went to blend them and they seemed a little moist, but I blended anyway…and it didn't work real well (I don't think…there were big chunks and some of the pieces wouldn't break up)…so I put them back on the dehydrator, but they still seem moist. Do I just keep dehydrating…or just stop and blend? Also, some of my tomatoes are bright red and some are dark red…is that ok??
Thanks
Kathy
Yep, I've had that happen to me, just the other day with yellow squash. When you take them out of the food dryer, let them cool for 15-30 minutes, then blend them up and put them in a jar with a tight lid on it. If you let them set, they will absorb the moisture in the air and get moist again. The solution is to do just as you did, and put them back in the dryer until they are brittle again. If you leave any moisture in them, they will mold in storage.
I did my tomatoes last summer, and just finished off using the last of them a month ago, and they stayed good and fresh, no mold. So that has been a whole year.
It doesn't matter what color they are—there is natural variation with ripeness and different varieties. What you don't want it the white mold that will come on them if you dry them at too low of a temperature. Make sure your dryer is in the range of 105 to 135 degrees. If it doesn't have a thermostat, no worries, it will be hot enough.
Enjoy! Those dried tomatoes make the most rich and delicious spaghetti sauce on earth!
Diane
Even with your replies to my question above, and your new posts about drying tomatoes this year, my tomatoes were STILL burning. But I kept trying, batch after batch, experimenting with different thicknesses and temperatures. I got burned tomatoes, and I got tomatoes that molded, and I got a few in each batch that were okay. Finally, I found what has consistently worked. If I cut the tomatoes 1/2" thick (I used a ruler until I got it in my head) and dry them at 135 degrees, they come out perfect every time – so far! Go figure!
Wow, sounds like you have it mastered! Mine are not so finicky. I just put the dryer on and they come out every time. I've done thick and thin, and high and low temperatures, and I haven't had any "burned" ones, or moldy ones. Maybe it is the dryer that is the problem. I love my dryer.
Anyway, I'm glad you found a way to do it! Yay! They are so tasty! I am in fear of using mine up before the winter comes on.
Fabulous idea!
I have always been intimidated to try canning. Dehydrating is a no brainer for me…lol. I always have an abundance of tomatoes which I try giving away to neighbours and friends…this year I know what I'm going to do with them.
Just had another idea…I can add my fresh herbs along with the tomato powder! Thanks for the inspiration.
Hey Diane,
So, I'm trying these dried tomatoes. I have the same dryer as yours and it does scorch some of the tomatoes. It helps when I put them on 120. And, it is only a small percentage that burn. (They even taste the same, just look black.)
But, here is my problem. When I pull the tomatoes out, they are pliable, but not sticky or anything. They are dry. I whiz them in my blender and they blend up just fine, they just seem a little bit damp. Not powder dry.
Do I just keep drying them until they are powder dry? I can take the powder and put it back in the dehydrator on a fruit-leather sheet if I need to. What do you think?