Tammy Algood with the University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service offers tips on preserving your tomato harvest. Never buy a plant that is already blooming or has set fruit. Foliage should be a healthy green color, and plants shouldn't be leggy or have roots coming from the bottom of the container. When you plant, provide support for your plant to keep the fruit off the soil. Store tomatoes with the stem-end up, and never store them in the refrigerator, which harms tomato flavor. To steam-blanch tomatoes in preparation for sun-drying, fill a steamer or saucepan with 1" to 2" of water. Steam them in a wire basket for 3 minutes. This step will prevent the tomatoes from molding during the drying process. Don't allow the tomatoes to come in contact with the water. Place halved tomatoes that have been steam-blanched on a plastic screen that's been sprayed with olive oil. Use a frame to support the screen so that you can dry the fruit in a single layer. Cover the tomatoes with netting. When tomatoes are dry, store them in glass jars on the pantry shelf for up to a year.
GUESTS :
Tammy Algood
UT Agricultural Extension Service
5201 Marchant Drive
Nashville, TN 37211-5201
Phone: 615-834-5162
Fax: 615-832-0043
Email: Talgood1@utk.edu
Website: http://www.utextension.utk.edu
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