I was just out and cooking at an event where I took my smoker. I fired it up a few days before to test it out, and loaded it with tomatoes. I simply hung vine ripe tomatoes from the racks, and smoked away. They were incredible, just crushed off the vine on flatbread, and killer in a sauce or just torn up into eggs for breakfast. I just bought 20 lbs today, and plan to smoke them whole, hanging from their vines, not peeled, just rinsed and dried. I expect they will shrink some, possibly split, but like the last batch hold firm to their vine. I plan to smoke them at whatever the smoker runs at on low (possibly around 150F), use pecan chips for smoke, and run em all day long. Will let you know how they go.

What I don't understand is whether it needs to be done using pressure or with a simple water bath. Neither. Food processing with oils, either form of processing, and shelf storage isn't approved because of the high bacterial risks. Refrigerated storage only. If they are acidified with vinegar and wine is added to the oil then cold room storage is possible for a period of months. The link below explains how to do it. Dave PS: NJ AG Extension Service has an excellent website . It is part of Rutgers University and is noted as one of the very best Ag extension services in the country - with all sorts of info available on home food preservation as well as all the current contact numbers for local county offices. Here is a link that might be useful: Brokenbar - Tomatoes in Olive Oil

You'll find many discussions about this over on the Harvest forum here - it is the food preservation forum. I have linked one of the best and most detailed discussion for you below. The search there will pull up all the others if you want to read them. Personally we dry lots of tomatoes each season including the larger non-roma types. But we use dehydrators - I think most do - given all the problems associated with trying to use the sun. Dave Here is a link that might be useful: Making dried tomatoes

You can use all kinds of easy melting cheeses and pair it with various herbs and butter or prosciutto. Just let your imagination be your guide. Fiesta Chicken Kiev serves 2 1/2 cup + 2 teaspoons butter 2 teaspoons Kraft Old English Sharp Cheddar Cheese Spread 1-1/2 teaspoon minced onion 1 teaspoon chopped green chilis 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts 1 cup crushed Cheeze-it crackers 2 tablespoons Taco seasoning mix Mix 2 teaspoons butter, the 2 teaspoons Kraft Old English Cheese Spread, the onion and green chiliÂs. Separate into two equal size mounds and freeze. Pound chicken breasts to 1/8 inch thickness. Place one mound of the frozen cheese-butter mixture in the center of each chicken breasts and roll up. Tie with string or use toothpicks to hold together. Melt the remaining 1/2 cup butter and roll chicken in it, coating well. Mix the crushed Cheeze-itÂs and Taco seasoning mix together in a shallow bowl. Roll the buttered chicken in the mixture. Place chicken in a greased microwave safe dish and cook four minutes in the microwave on high. Serve and enjoy. Be sure to sop up all escaped juices! Yum! ---------------------------------------------------------- Prosciutto and Gruyere Stuffed Chicken Breasts Compliments of Chef Anne Conness Garlic Jus Ingredients 4 garlic cloves, whole 1 tablespoon 1 cup marsala wine 2 tablespoon sherry vinegar 1 thyme sprig 1 bay leaf 2 quarts rich chicken stock, reduced to 2 cups Other Ingredients 4 large boneless, skin-on chicken breasts 1/4 cup canola oil Salt and pepper to taste 2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto 1/2 cup grated gruyere cheese Garlic Jus Instructions 1) To make garlic jus, melt butter in sauté pan and cook garlic cloves until golden brown 2) Deglaze pan with marsala wine and sherry vinegar 3) Reduce liquid over medium heat by a quarter 4) Add herbs and reduced chicken stock 5) Simmer on low heat for 30 minutes and strain, discarding solids Instructions The key to this dish is cooking the chicken entirely on the skin side so that it is crispy and the meat remains tender. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit 1) Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides 2) With a knife make a horizontal slit into the chicken breast, making a pocket 3) Heat up an oven proof cast iron skillet and add canola oil 4) When the oil is very hot, add chicken breasts skin side down for 5 minutes 5) Split prosciutto into 4 servings and lay slices out flat 6) Divide the cheese and spread onto the prosciutto slices 7) Roll the prosciutto and cheese into an appropriate size which will fit into the pockets in the chicken breasts 8) Carefully remove chicken from pan and stuff with proscuitto roll 9) Place chicken back into pan skin side down and place in oven for another 5 minutes, until chicken is cooked through 10) Serve chicken with garlic jus, mashed potatoes and haricot vert