nickel plate
Veteran Member
I started truck drying tomatoes two years ago and being that this year is a mega bumper crop, thought I should share the process with TBN just in case you too have an over abundance (is there such a thing?) of fruit.
I made four drying boxes, two at 12"x18" and two at 14"x18" that's just the way the 1/4" galvanized wire cloth worked out. The frames and lower legs that promote air circulation are 1"x2" punk wood from the big box store. For saftey sake I rolled the sharp edges of the cloth to avoid skin rips when handling.
My drying tomato of choice is the Roma as it has more flesh and less gelatin and water to evaporate however these larger cherry tomatoes were labeled as Roma-I wonder if someone gets their kicks by switching around the stick labels? Romas or large cherries, cut them into quarters and set them skin down as to not stick to the wire cloth, you can pack them tight but don't make layers as that will hinder the drying process and invite mold. The larger tomatoes are sliced about 3/8"-1/2" thick and placed on edge and leaning on the side boards until they dry up a bit, then you can lay them flat to finish out. These I turn over once or twice a day to aid the drying and also allows the truck to air out the accumulated water vapor.
With truck parked out in the sun with the doors closed and windows up, place newspapers down to catch any slight drainage during the first day or so.
Depending on the heat of your vehicle and in my case it takes about two to three days for the tomatoes to become slightly drier than the solidity of a raisin. Pack them in freezer bags and store in the freezer until needed on that cold winter day....
I made four drying boxes, two at 12"x18" and two at 14"x18" that's just the way the 1/4" galvanized wire cloth worked out. The frames and lower legs that promote air circulation are 1"x2" punk wood from the big box store. For saftey sake I rolled the sharp edges of the cloth to avoid skin rips when handling.
My drying tomato of choice is the Roma as it has more flesh and less gelatin and water to evaporate however these larger cherry tomatoes were labeled as Roma-I wonder if someone gets their kicks by switching around the stick labels? Romas or large cherries, cut them into quarters and set them skin down as to not stick to the wire cloth, you can pack them tight but don't make layers as that will hinder the drying process and invite mold. The larger tomatoes are sliced about 3/8"-1/2" thick and placed on edge and leaning on the side boards until they dry up a bit, then you can lay them flat to finish out. These I turn over once or twice a day to aid the drying and also allows the truck to air out the accumulated water vapor.
With truck parked out in the sun with the doors closed and windows up, place newspapers down to catch any slight drainage during the first day or so.
Depending on the heat of your vehicle and in my case it takes about two to three days for the tomatoes to become slightly drier than the solidity of a raisin. Pack them in freezer bags and store in the freezer until needed on that cold winter day....
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