Looking for new ways to preserve tomatoes? Come learn how to make easy sun dried tomatoes using a dehydrator or oven (with optional fresh herbs) along with tips on how to best store them. These chewy, savory dried tomatoes are packed with intense flavors of summer that you can literally bottle to enjoy for many months to come! We love to add them to homemade sourdough bread, egg dishes, pasta, pizza and more. You may be wondering: what about the “sun” part? Unfortunately, it’s very challenging to properly dry tomatoes under the sun alone. Thick, juicy tomatoes readily mold if they don’t dry fully or fast enough. But guess what? Most store-bought “sun-dried” tomatoes are actually dried in commercial ovens or dehydrators too! NOTE: This post was originally published in August 2019 but has since been significantly updated. RELATED: If you need more ideas to preserve tomatoes, don’t miss our easy roasted tomato sauce (can or freeze), homemade ketchup recipe, or this guide on freezing tomatoes whole. Ingredients and Supplies Fresh tomatoes. You can dry any kind of tomatoes you have, including cherry tomatoes. The key will be cutting them into similar size pieces so they dry evenly. A food dehydrator or oven. (Be forewarned that drying tomatoes in the oven will take several hours.) We prefer to make sun dried tomatoes in our favorite food dehydrator since it effectively and fully dries the tomatoes without any risk of burning, and doesn’t require a watchful eye (or heating up the whole house) like the oven method does. Optional fresh herbs. We often use a combination of thyme, oregano, sage and/or basil from the garden. The addition of herbs make the sun dried tomatoes taste a lot like pizza! Expected Yield In this example, we started with about 4 pounds of fresh garden tomatoes and ended up with just under one quart of sun-dried tomatoes.Drying tomatoes shrinks and condenses them significantly… but that’s not necessarily a bad thing! That’s something I actually love about dehydrating food as a preservation method: how little pantry space the finished product takes up. Plus, the tomato flavor becomes exponentially more rich and concentrated as they dry too. Instructions 1) Prepare the Tomatoes Start by washing your tomatoes, and then gently pat them dry or allow them to air dry. Remove the stems and cut out the tough center core (if needed). Next, cut them into small even wedges such as quarters, sixths or eighths (depending on the size of your tomatoes). I find bite-size wedges dry best compared to wide flat slices. Cut cherry or grape tomatoes in half. A small serrated knife is the easiest for cutting tomatoes! The goal is to have most of the tomato pieces a similar thickness so they’ll dry evenly. The thinner you cut them, the faster they’ll dry – but also the more puny or brittle they can be. For thick chewy sun dried tomatoes, leave the pieces thicker (but no more than 1/2 inch thick). 2) Add Herbs (Optional) If you’re going to add fresh herbs, first place the cut tomatoes in a wide shallow mixing bowl. Next, wash, gently dry and chop your herbs of choice into small bits. I love any combination of oregano, thyme, basil, and sage. Sprinkle the herbs over the tomatoes, gently tossing as you go to evenly mix and coat them. We don’t usually measure, but I think we use about 1 heaping tablespoon of herbs for every 2 pounds of tomatoes. (Or just eyeball it.) 3) Dry Tomatoes Spread the cut tomatoes out on dehydrator trays or baking sheets lined with parchment paper in a single layer, not overlapping or touching. We don’t need any extra juices or seeds that may have come loose or collected on the cutting board (or mixing bowl) – leave those behind. Place the wedges with the skin-side down if possible, which tend to stick to the trays less than the fleshy parts. Since sun dried tomatoes can get sticky, we sometimes use our silicone dehydrator tray liners or parchment paper below them – though not necessary (and may increase drying time since it reduces airflow some). In a dehydrator, dry the tomatoes on 125 to 130°F. In the oven, set the temperature to 200 to 225°F. In the oven, it’s also recommended to rotate the trays or even flip the tomatoes halfway through. The time it takes depends on the method you use, moisture content and size of your tomatoes, ranging from 2 to 8 hours in the oven and up to 24 hours in a dehydrator (though the average is around 12 hours). See notes on how to tell when they’re “done” below. 4) Assess Doneness Sun dried tomatoes are finished drying when they’re shriveled, dry to the touch (no longer wet or squishy), but are still chewy and pliable. The exact time or level of dryness depends on your personal preference for texture, which will also impact their shelf life potential. The longer you dry sun dried tomatoes (the more moisture that is removed), the longer they’ll last in storage. However, they’ll also get increasingly hard, crunchy and brittle. Shorter drying times will result in more supple, chewy sun dried tomatoes, though they could also go bad (mold) in storage faster if they’re too wet. It’s a bit of a goldilocks situation – trying to get them just right. When I check on the tomatoes as they’re drying, I usually find pieces that finish drying fasters than others – so I simply remove those from the dehydrator while the others continue to dry. What if I dry the tomatoes too long? If your tomatoes end up a little more crispy than you were expecting, don’t fret! Depending on how you use them, sun dried tomatoes do an excellent job at reabsorbing moisture and plumping back up later. For example, if you add them to sauces, bread dough, quiche, sautéed vegetables, or other meals that have some moisture to spare. You can also put crunchy sun dried tomatoes in a small bowl of water or oil for a couple hours before use to re-soften them. This batch is a bit on the crunchier side, but they’ll also last longer in dry storage. How to Store Dried Tomatoes Transfer your homemade sun-dried tomatoes to an air-tight container for storage, such as a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid or glass container with a flip-top lid and gasket. We love these stainless steel storage lids with an internal silicone gasket, which provide a better seal than a traditional two piece mason jar lid.  Store sun-dried tomatoes in a cool, dark, dry location such as a pantry, root cellar, or cool cupboard. If thoroughly dried, they do not require refrigeration – though it can help extend their shelf life. FAQ: Can I store homemade sun dried tomatoes in olive oil? Proceed with caution. While it’s a popular method that many people enjoy, storing dried tomatoes in olive oil could create the perfect anaerobic environment for botulism to grow – especially if your tomatoes have any moisture left in them. The National Center for Home Preservation advises against it, stating that botulism can grow if just one droplet of water is present. Shelf Life Homemade sun dried tomatoes should stay good for several months or even up to a year. The exact shelf life depends on storage conditions and just how much they were dried. We have stored dehydrated tomatoes at room temperature for well over 6 months without them molding or spoiling. However those were pretty dry, so if yours are more supple and chewy, you may want to store them in the refrigerator to better preserve them. Ways to Use Sun Dried Tomatoes Sun dried tomatoes add a wonderful bite of flavor and texture to a wide variety of meals, including pasta (or zoodles), sandwiches, pizza, and egg dishes like quiche, frittata, scrambled eggs or omelettes. They’re also fantastic in salads, including green salads or other cold salads like quinoa, rice, pasta, or potato salad. We love to tuck sun dried tomatoes into homemade sourdough bread, simply by adding them to the dough during the first stretch and fold. They rehydrate and plump up nicely given the time to rest in the wet dough! Enjoy! Easy peasy. Now you have your very own homemade sun dried tomatoes to enjoy for months to come. Did I miss any of your favorite ways to use them? If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a review or comment below! If you’re into dehydrating, you may also like: How to Make Homemade Garlic Powder Preserving Basil: How to Dry Basil in a Dehydrator or Oven Preserving Onions: How to Make Onion Powder How to Make Homemade Chili Powder in 4 Simple Steps Dehydrating Apples: How to Make Apple Chips in a Dehydrator, Oven or Air Fryer Print How to Make Sun Dried Tomatoes (Oven or Dehydrator) Looking for new ways to preserve tomatoes? Learn how to make easy sun dried tomatoes using a dehydrator or oven (with optional fresh herbs) plus tips to store them. These chewy, savory dried tomatoes are delicious in pasta, salads, sandwiches, egg dishes, pizza, sourdough bread and more. Course Preserved FoodKeyword Dehyrated Tomatoes, Preserving Tomatoes, Sundried tomatoes, Tomato Recipe Prep Time 30 minutes minutesDrying Time 18 hours hours EquipmentFood Dehydrator, or Oven IngredientsTomatoes of choiceFresh herbs of choice, such as sage, oregano, thyme, and/or rosemary InstructionsWash and cut the tomatoes into halves, quarters, sixths, or even eighths depending on size, aiming to get similar-sized pieces so the tomatoes will dry evenly.Wash and finely chop the fresh herbs. Approximately 1 heaping tablespoon of chopped herbs for every 2 pounds of prepped tomatoes.Add cut tomatoes and fresh herbs into a mixing bowl, and lightly mix to thoroughly combine the ingredients.Place cut tomatoes skin side down on dehydrator drying racks (or on oven baking sheet). Do not allow the tomato pieces to overlap. Using a food dehydrator, dry the tomatoes on 120 to 130 degrees F for about 18-20 hours OR for 4-5 hours in 200 degree oven. Soft, chewy roasted tomatoes are delicious but may not last as long in storage as those more dry and crisp. Once dried to your liking, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for optimum freshness. They should last for several months to a year. Did you enjoy this article? Want to hear more? Stay in touch! Sign up below to receive weekly updates on new posts from Homestead and Chill. The post How to Make Sun Dried Tomatoes in a Dehydrator or Oven appeared first on Homestead and Chill.

Read the original post "Homemade Goldfish Crackers" on A Modern Homestead. Flaky and packed with a satisfying cheesy crunch, these homemade Goldfish crackers are the perfect anytime snack! They were always one of my favorites as a kid, and now I can make them any time with the best ingredients. They are easy to whip up and can be stored for up to a month! Make... Read More The post "Homemade Goldfish Crackers" appeared first on A Modern Homestead.

Read the original post "Apple Butter Recipe (Canning Optional)" on A Modern Homestead. This simple apple butter recipe is crafted to be the easiest apple butter recipe ever – no peeling required! It’s a wonderful treat during the fall (or anytime). And with the optional instructions for canning apple butter in a water bath, you’ll be able to enjoy it all year round! Homemade apple butter is a... Read More The post "Apple Butter Recipe (Canning Optional)" appeared first on A Modern Homestead.

Greetings! Whether you’re new or old to the world of raising chickens, I thought you may enjoy hearing about some of our favorite chicken coop and run supplies that we’ve come to rely on over the years – beyond the basics. Rather than focusing on essentials like food, water, and predator-proof shelter (because y’all know that already, right?) here is a useful list of items that add convenience, make our lives easier, and help keep our backyard chickens as happy, healthy and safe as possible. A peek inside our coop after a deep clean (but I hadn’t put the poop boards back under the roosts yet) RELATED: Don’t miss our beginner’s guide to raising backyard chickens, which goes into more detail about basics like food, water, bedding, roosts, predator-proofing, and more. 1) Automatic Coop Door I honestly can’t imagine raising chickens without an automatic coop door anymore. It’s a total game changer, for our convenience and our flock’s safety! Using an automatic coop door enables you to safely lock your chickens in the coop at night and let them out into the run in the morning – even if you’re busy, out late, or even out of town. We’ve had an Omlet auto door for over 4 years and haven’t had a single issue with it. In fact, we haven’t even had to change the batteries yet! (Though I heard they drain a little faster in freezing climates, so just keep an eye on the battery level.) Simply set it to close awhile after your flock naturally puts themselves to bed, open in the morning after dawn, and adjust the time as the daylight changes a few times per year. We love our Omlet door so much, we added one to our outdoor “cat barn” too! 2) Natural Nesting Box Pads Nest box pads are great way to line and cushion nesting boxes, which helps prevent broken eggs while giving hens a clean and comfy place to lay. We tried using straw in the past, but the girls always dug into the center to expose the bare, hard wood below. I love these 13×13″ natural nesting box pads made of compostable USA-grown aspen. We only change them out if they become grossly soiled (which isn’t often). I also make my own nesting box curtains to give the girls a bit of privacy, which actually helps reduce the risk of egg-eating behavior too! 3) Droppings Board and Poop Scooper Truth be told, I’m not into the “deep litter” method. Instead, we have an easily-cleanable “poop board” directly under the roost that catches the majority of the coop droppings. It’s quick and easy for me to scrape it clean each morning (takes less than two minutes) and keeps the coop super fresh and clean! We’ve been using these as long as we’ve had chickens, including in smaller reach-in style coops and our current larger walk-in coop. To make a droppings board, we cover a thin piece of plywood with smooth sheet vinyl or laminate, wrapped and glued around all sides so it’s reversible. Then I use a long-handled dog poop set to scrape and remove the droppings from the board daily (which I also use to easily pick up poop in the run). In our old reach-in coop, I used a wide paint scraper and dustpan instead. We also take the poop boards out to deep clean once every few months. The poop board should be wide enough to cover where their droppings usually fall. Since our current roost is large, we made two smaller poop boards instead of one big one, making it easier to take in and out of the coop when needed for deeper cleaning. A basic dog poop set is perfect for scraping the droppings board clean, and for picking up poop in the run. The same “poop board” concept on a smaller scale in our old reach-in chicken coop. 4) Wildlife-Safe Poultry Netting We can’t let our flock fully free-range because of predators, especially birds of prey (we unfortunately learned that the hard way…) Our chickens already have a big predator-proof hardware cloth run, but I wanted to give them more safe space to roam, so we created an even larger chicken “day yard” adjacent to the run. The day yard is enclosed with basic wire fencing around the perimeter (supported with t-posts) and poultry netting over the top for overhead protection. But not just any netting! Most of the common black plastic-like “bird netting” is hazardous to native birds and other wildlife, easily entangling them. Instead, we use this high-quality, durable, wildlife-safe poultry netting (we have the one with 2-inch openings). It’s awesome stuff! It’s been up for over a year without issue. We strung it up between the side of the run, perimeter fencing and trees, with one of these tall support poles for extra height in the middle as needed. After losing my favorite chicken in a traumatic hawk attack, I can’t tell you how much peace of mind this gives us – and the girls love their new playground! Inside the “day yard” covered with poultry netting 5) Boot Scraper This one is extra simple, but oh-so-useful. No matter how much we try to avoid it, chickens and poopy shoes goes hand-in-hand, right? So, we keep one of these basic durable boot scrapers just outside our chicken run, making it easy to clean off our garden boots before traipsing around the rest of the property. One always lasts us many years of use! (I flip it over after the top wears out.) 6) Solar or Battery Light (and Fan) Having a light inside the coop is really helpful at times, especially if you have a walk-in style coop like us. We recently had electricity run to our chicken coop so we could plug in a fan, light, and camera – but before that, we relied on this handy little battery-operated light and wall switch. (Our coop is under a lot of trees so solar wasn’t the best option, but this solar-powered coop light gets great reviews too.) In addition to light, a fan can be a serious lifesaver during hot weather. We currently use this outdoor-rated plug-in fan, but this solar-powered waterproof coop fan is an ideal choice for those without electricity. It has fresh air intake plus exhaust fans and an on/off switch! 7) Coop Camera Though it may seem a little “extra”, I love having a camera inside the coop! Then I can easily check on the flock wherever I am, any time of day (including the comfort of my couch or bed lol) – to do nightly head counts, monitor nest box activity, or make sure the auto door successfully closed (not that it’s ever been an issue). It also helps me monitor any unusual behavior, and even catch potential health issues early. We have an older Nest camera that is no longer available, though this plug-in Ring outdoor camera is another well-rated camera that also has a solar-powered option. 13 accounted for. Goodnight, sweet babies! 8) Misters Did you know that heat is more dangerous to chickens than freezing cold weather? Though it’s not super hot here often, I love having this mister system strung around in between the chicken’s run and “day yard” to turn on during heat waves and keep them comfortable and safe. It’s super easy to set up, connects right to a garden hose, comes in various lengths, and immediately cools the surrounding area by several degrees! RELATED: Learn 10 ways to keep chickens cool during heat waves and hot summer weather, or visit this guide on how to winterize a chicken coop and keep chickens warm and cozy during cold conditions. It may be hard to see, but I’m standing in a nice cool cloud of mist in this photo! The misters are strung along the top side of the run to my right, and the girls are thoroughly enjoying picking around in the damp soil nearby too. 9) First Saturday Lime I love using First Saturday Lime for natural pest prevention around the coop and run. We sprinkle it under their bedding and nest box pads, in their dust baths, and generally around the cracks and crevices of the coop and roosts. Perhaps it’s just a coincidence or good luck, but we’ve never had a single issue with poultry lice or mites! Diatomaceous earth (DE) is another popular option used for natural insect and parasite control, yet DE can be harmful when inhaled (both for humans and chickens). On the other hand, lime offers many of the same benefits while minimizing health concerns. You can order it online though our local feed stores and Home Depot also carry it. RELATED: Did you know dust baths are essential to chicken health? Learn how to make a chicken dust bath here – including our dust bath “recipe”, DIY dust bath container ideas, and more. 10) Enrichment and Boredom Busters Last but certainly not least, don’t forget to deck out your chicken run (or yard) with as many roosts, boredom busters, or other sources of entertainment as you have space for. Because happy chickens = healthy chickens! Plus, the more content and healthy your birds are, the less issues they create for you too. For instance, chickens that are offered ample enrichment are less likely to bully one another, develop feather-plucking or egg-eating behaviors. We try to keep our girls entertained by providing various roosts, log structures, leaf piles, hanging treat nets full of garden greens, DIY flock block, and more. We even made them a chicken grazing box – aka the “chicken salad bar”! Even if you have a smaller run space, simply moving roosts or stumps around once a month or so will shake things up and keep them entertained. See this tutorial on how to make a DIY chicken grazing box, with several different styles, sizes, and options included! Our girls love a good healthy treat piñata Well friends, that concludes this list of handy chicken coop supplies. I hope you found a few fun new ideas for your coop and flock! I’d also love to hear about any of your favorite items or ideas in the comments below! Thank you for tuning in today. You may also enjoy: How to Ferment Chicken Feed For Healthier Hens and Eggs 11 Easy DIY Chick Brooder Box Ideas with Photos 500+ Best Chicken Names: Funny, Cute, Unique, Puns and More  What Can Chickens Eat? Healthy Treat Ideas + Toxic Foods List Best DIY Flock Block Recipe: How to Make a Chicken Treat Block The post Top 10 Chicken Coop Supplies That Will Make Your Life Easier appeared first on Homestead and Chill.

Read the original post "French Onion Soup" on A Modern Homestead. There’s nothing quite like a bowl of homemade French onion soup to warm you from the inside out. With rich caramelized onions, savory broth, and a thick layer of melted cheese over toasted bread, this recipe turns simple ingredients into something truly special. It’s the perfect dish for cold evenings, slow weekends, or anytime you’re... Read More The post "French Onion Soup" appeared first on A Modern Homestead.