The sun has been shining and the Roma tomatoes were on sale. Perfect combination for making homemade sun dried tomatoes. I decided to do mine in slices. I laid them all out on the cookie sheets and drizzled them with a little olive oil and sprinkled with a bit of salt. I covered them with a layer of cheesecloth to keep any bugs or birds away, and then let the sun do the rest.
Since James started eating them like chips, I either had to start whacking his hand with a wooden spoon, or make some more. Of course, as soon as I had them all cut and on the sheets, the weather took a turn for fall. With temps in the high 60's the tomatoes weren't drying so fast.
Into the oven they went. I set it for my lowest setting (in my oven's case - 170 degrees) and just checked in every now and then.
The other thing I won't buy - salad dressings. They really are so easy to make, and since I make enough to last just a few meals, I don't have to worry about all the preservatives that I can't pronounce. We start with balsamic or red wine vinegar, add some garlic, shallots, lemon juice and salt. If you let it sit for a bit before you add your extra-virgin olive oil, the acid in the vinegar and lemon break down the pungency of the garlic. You can do it to your own taste but a good start is 1:2. I put it all in a small Mason jar and when it is time for salad, I just give it a couple good shakes.
I can't believe we never did this before. I tell you - I won't go back to the processed stuff!
(Homemade sauce will be another day!)
