I slice the tomatoes thick and place them on a baking sheet.

I drizzle extra virgin olive all over.

I add fresh basil leaves, chopped onions and garlic.

Season with salt and pepper.

I bake it at 250 degree F for several hours or until they have thickened.

I stir the mixture off and on.

I remove pan from oven and let the contents cool.

I then use a good mill or colander to make a sauce.

Sometimes I use pesto, too.

Another thing I learned is to wash the tomatoes well and place them in the freezer.

The skins slip off and you can use the peeled tomatoes as a base for soups or sauces.

Let me know if you have any questions.

We sun dry our own tomatoes, Romas or cherry tomatoes, depending on the abundance of either or both.

Remove stems, cut the tomatoes in half, remove seeds and pulp and dip in vinegar (this prevents fungus). Place outside on an old window screen, cover with another screen, and place on sawhorses in the sun. If rain is predicted, move inside temporarily. The tomatoes will become leathery in a few days. Place tomatoes in a jar or plastic bag and put in the freezer. Remove the amount you want, put in a small jar and cover with good olive oil.

The screen is important to allow air circulation. If you don't have old window screens, rig up something comparable.

Years ago I bought sundried tomatoes at a farmer's market. When I started putting them on a pizza, I saw maggots on them. If you dry them outdoors, you have to keep the flies out somehow.

I'd be wary of using an old window screen, as you don't know what else might wind up on the fruit besides flies. More sanitary using a dehydrator or low oven, IMO.

Oven Dried Tomatoes

Since we converted the whole house to AC about ten years ago, I know I have many screens stored. I will scrub them and try this with a few and see how it goes. With my almost completely shady yard, I'll stick it up in the tomato garden at the end of the property and see what happens. I like the leathery chewy consistency. If that doesn't happen, I'll go the oven route.

Window screens can be made from aluminum, fiberglass, copper bronze, or polyester. Might not be safe for contact with food.

Would be better to use a food rack.

Thinking the same - unless it's plastic screening, I would be wary of the metal - especially since tomatoes are acidic and can react with metal.
And flies land and walk around on the undersides of things as well as on top.

You might use baking parchment to line whatever you decide to use.

So now I'm feeling stupid. As I have mentioned before, for 40 years I went to weekly auctions collecting antiques so I have a houseful. Literally three feet away from where I sit writing this is an antique food dryer from the 19th century, It is 27 inches high, and 20 inches deep with ten pullout drawers with tiny brass knobs on them. The trays are lined with small galvanized material. It's too cumbersome and valuable to lug up to the end of the yard so I may just try using a few trays covering them with another tray. If it didn't kill people in the 1800s, I guess it's safe.

Sun drying really doesn't work well in humid climates. But you can dry sliced tomatoes in a slow oven with or without seasoning. I do this, then wrap the dried slices in wax paper--several in each wrap, and slide the little packages into freezer bags, several in each bag. They keep very well, defrost rapidly and can be added to just about anything you think of.

I think I'll try that, Lacey, because humid is PAs middle name. Thanks.

I think I'd be tempted to try the oven drying too but because we don't have your heat here and I'd be concerned the drying without a dehydrator might take too many days - allowing bacteria to grow.

I don't have a dehydrator, and may look into one for next year. I've always canned. This year I was looking forward to having a good supply of fresh cilantro since I seemed to be throwing out a wilted bunch just about weekly when purchased at the grocery store.

I over estimated how much we might use and had too many plants. I dried a lot of cilantro in a 200F oven. It turned out beautifully, was simple and fast, and those jars smell heavenly ;) (if you happen to be fond of cilantro and we are)

I do not even trust plastic to use with food. I would find a stainless steel rack or tray.

It seems that using the oven to dehydrate something as wet as are tomatoes would not be very cost effective.

Unless you can actually use the power of the sun or you have a good dehydrator that is designed to do this, you might rethink that.

Seriously, think about the energy use vs the actual results.

If you live in Arizona right now, that you can use just the sun. Maybe also some other places that are experiencing drought and high heat. But, then, if you live in such a place, you may not have any tomatoes growing. It is my understanding that tomatoes suffer in too high heat and dont produce well.

I am canning tomatoes today. I dont grow my own but I do have a farm where I buy from. I dont can them because it is economical. I do so because having my own canned ones is something that brings joy and delight to my winter meals. It is a luxury.

If dried tomatoes are important to you, as are my canned ones to me, then I guess you make trade offs. But, still, using an oven to slow heat for that long of a time seems a very awkward way to do it . And, if you are also running the air, you are adding heat to the house.

I try to do my canning on days when it is cooler and we dont need to run the air. I like to turn it off on some days and just let it the natural summer come in. Having all that boiling water going also uses a lot of energy and heats up the house. But, it is all done in a couple of hours.

On the other hand, if you are experienceing extreme heat and drought, you might not have a day when you would not want to use the AC. If everyday is as hot as the last, you may not have that respite.

Dried tomatoes always seem to be so tough and usually very sweet. Just never found the love for them, even though they look like they ought to be wonderful little things.

Also, I would second the caution about using window screen for them to come into direct contact with. The acid in the fruit can react with the metal in the screen. Probably better it is is vinyl mesh. You could build a box/cover with the old window screens, but I would hesitate to actually lay the acidic fruit directly on it.