Gather 'Round the Table: Tomato Glut, Part 2

Click here if you missed part 1

Now it’s 2 weeks on and the tomatoes still keep coming. Last time we talked about having friends over and making a party of it.  Everyone brought their bounty and went home with dozens of jars of beautiful, rich canned tomatoes and sauce.  Here it is, though, just fourteen days later and you are still swimming in the heirloom tomatoes you promised yourself you weren’t going to plant last spring but just couldn’t resist.  Next year, definitely, probably, not.

One of the best investments you can make in food preservation is a simple Ronco-type food dehydrator.  They run about forty or fifty bucks and will save you that much in well-preserved food the first season you use it.  They work on a very simple principle, supplying steady, low heat through a series of grates to evaporate moisture.

The best kind of tomatoes to choose for drying is thin-walled and juicy (as opposed to fat and meaty).  The small, oblong Roma variety is most common, but almost any variety will do.  For the Romas and other smaller varieties, simply split them in half lengthwise.  The larger ones will need to be cored and sliced about a quarter-inch thick.

In either case, lay them out in single layers on the racks of your dehydrator, sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and, if you like, some chopped basil, thyme, and/or oregano.  Follow the manufacturers instructions, and remember to regularly rotate the racks so that they dry evenly.

Once they are dry but pliable, a texture similar to leather, remove them and store them in an airtight container, or tightly packed into a jar and soaking in olive oil in your fridge (that makes the oil taste great).  To reconstitute your tomatoes for service, simply place them in a saucepan with enough water to cover, bring them to a boil, then remove from the heat and let stand about 15 minutes.  Drain and serve, tossed with pasta, stuffed in chicken breasts or pureed into a nice spread for crackers or crostini.

Another handy tip for the over-abundant little tomatoes, such as Mexican Midget or Yellow Pear, is to roast them and freeze them.  It’s quick and easy, and helps make for a delightful taste of summer sunshine next January. 

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees f. Simply toss your washed small tomatoes in a light coating of good-quality olive oil.  Lay them out on a single layer on a sheet pan and sprinkle with kosher salt, fresh-cracked black pepper, a little minced garlic and chopped herbs such as those mentioned above.  Pop them in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until the skins burst.  Remove them and allow them to cool, and then use a spatula to scoop them into Ziploc bags to freeze.  Remember to freeze them flat, that way once they are frozen they can be stored more easily anywhere in the freezer and take up less space.

Then next winter you can surprise your family when you cook up some linguine and toss it with some grilled shrimp or chicken and a quart or so of your roasted tomatoes, seemingly just picked yesterday.

		Kurt Michael Friese, Gather Food Correspondent
	Gather ‘Round the Table is a regular feature of Gather Essentials: Food. Chef Kurt Michael Friese is a freelance food and wine writer & photographer. He is also the co-owner - with his wife Kim - of Devotay, a restaurant in Iowa City, serves on the Slow Food USA Board of Governors, and is Editor-in-Chief of the local food magazine Edible Iowa River Valley. He lives in rural Johnson County, Iowa. Keep up with Kurt Michael's food series by joining his network, or subscribing to his content.