If you’ve ever grown tomatoes, you’ll know how they all ripen at once, and suddenly you’re drowning in them, wondering how many more chutneys you can possibly make. 😂 This is my favourite way to stretch out the season and keep that burst of summer flavour alive for the months ahead.

You’ll need:

A good pile of ripe tomatoes (any variety works, but the smaller ones dry quicker)
Sea salt
Olive oil
Dried Oregano or a few sprigs of fresh thyme or rosemary (optional, but makes them extra fragrant)

Here’s how I make them:

Slice your tomatoes in half. You can keep the seeds in or scoop them out. It’s totally up to you. I deseeded mine for this recipe because they dry a little quicker and I wanted a more concentration flavour, but they’re still delicious with the seeds in!
Add to bowl, season with salt, a drizzle of oil and your favourite herbs. Mix everything together.
There are two ways to make them:
1) With an Air-fryer: Put the seasoned tomatoes into the air-fryer draw and select the dehydrate setting. Turn the temperature to 90°C. For deseeded tomatoes, they should take around 2/3 hours, whereas seeded ones will take slightly longer.
2) The oven method: Pop them in the oven on the lowest setting (around 90°C) and let them slowly dry out. This can take anywhere from 4/6 hours depending on your oven and the size of the tomatoes. You’ll know they’re done when they look wrinkly and chewy but still have a little softness.
Keep checking on the tomatoes every hour or so until they reach your desired squishiness. If using an air fryer, give them a shake so they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
Once to your desired driedness, leave to cool. Eat them straight away (I dare you not to), stir them through a pasta sauce, or scatter them over a salad.
To save them for later, pack them into a clean sterlished jar and cover with good olive oil. They’ll keep happily in the fridge for a couple of weeks…. if they last that long. 😆

These sun-dried tomatoes are sunshine in a jar. A little bit of summer when the nights are dark and you’re craving something bright and bold.