After you make your owm sumdried tomatoes can you put them in a canner to where you have them anytime?

Question

After you make your owm sumdried tomatoes can you put them in a canner to where you have them anytime?

Answer 1

After the tomatoes are sufficiently dried (they should just bend), place them in an air-tight container (glass jar or zip-type bag) in your fridge.

The USDA has recently come out with an alert that botulism has been found in olive oil where garlic, herbs, or tomatoes were stored.  They suggest, therefore, that oil not be used to preserve these foods.

If you want the flavor of sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, (for a recipe or whatever) place the tomatoes in just enough oil for the recipe about a week in advance, in an airtight container in the fridge.

Answer 2

Once your tomatoes are sun-dried, you shouldn't need to can them.  Make sure they are truly dry, though, or they will mould in storage and become unusable.  You could also freeze them in freezer-type zip loc bags, and they'll keep about a year in the freezer.

If you want to go ahead and can them anyway, use small jelly jars, pack them in a mild flavored oil with a pinch of salt.  Either the boiling water bath method or pressure canner method will work; the Ball Canning Book has excellent instructions, and there's canning instructions on the Ball Canning website too.  

Answer 3

There are many ways to preserve food for off-season use.  Sun-drying is one way; canning is another.  There is no reason that you can't can your sun-dried tomatoes but it should not be necessary.  Be sure the tomatoes are thoroughly dry, then store them in a mesh or paper or perforated plastic bag in a cool dry place.  They'll certainly keep over the winter.

Answer 4

put them in a jar and pour over some good extra virgin olive oil till coverd should keep for long timemake sure they stay coverd with oil so no air hit them