Whether pure as a snack, preserved in oil, or processed into pesto Rosso: sun-dried tomatoes are delicious. We will show you how you can make your own sun-dried tomatoes in your own oven.

Our neighbors to the south have it good: They simply use the warm Mediterranean sun to dry ripe tomatoes. Perhaps you, too, have already seen roofs of houses on which pallets full of tomato halves were slowly drying while on holiday in Italy?!

In our latitudes, we have to help the drying process a bit. If you want to dry tomatoes yourself, you don’t necessarily need a special dehydrator; so does the oven.

Make sun-dried tomatoes yourself: the ingredients

• 1 kilo good, ripe tomatoes (e.g. San Marzano)
• sea-salt

Drying tomatoes yourself: That’s how it works

1. Cut the tomatoes in half.
2. Then remove the tomato juice and seeds; a teaspoon is best.
3. The tomato halves are now placed cut-side down on several layers of kitchen paper and dried well.
4. Place the tomato halves cut-side up on a baking tray lined with baking paper and season with sea salt.
5. Put the tomatoes in the oven preheated to 90°C (top and bottom heat). Place a cooking spoon in the oven door to allow moisture to escape and dehydrate the tomatoes for 5 to 6 hours. The tomatoes are sufficiently dry when they can be bent like a sticky rubber mass. Do the test with your fingers: If you press the sun-dried tomatoes with your fingers, no more moisture should escape.
6. Let the tomatoes cool on the baking sheet. They will keep for a long time in a cool and dry place. Tip: Put a few grains of rice in the container in which you store the tomatoes. These absorb excess moisture.

Gift ideas with sun-dried tomatoes

Gifts from your own kitchen are always welcome. Put a handful of dried tomatoes in good olive oil and add a chili pepper for a piquant aroma – and you have a personal and decorative gift for a loved one.

Make Pesto Rosso yourself

You can also make pesto Rosso from your own dried tomatoes. For this you need:

• 100 g pine nuts
• 1 handful of parsley
• 1 handful of basil
• 100 grams of sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• oil at will
• Salt
• pepper

1. Brown the pine nuts in the pan without oil. Roughly chop the tomatoes and place them in a tall container with the other ingredients. Process everything with the hand blender to a homogeneous mass, pouring in enough oil until the mass is creamy.
2. Poured into a clean jar and covered with olive oil, the pesto will keep in the fridge for several weeks.

Tomato plants are popular and available all year round. If you would like to do something for the environment, you can plant them yourself. You can then dry, freeze or pickle the tomatoes. We will show you how to do it and how to store tomatoes properly.

The red delicious balls are among the most popular types of vegetables. Because they taste good and can be used in many ways. From this, you can conjure up many different tomato recipes. We have collected the most important information about this plant.

The history of the culinary golden apple

The tomato plant originally comes from the Andes, an area in South America. Then Christopher Columbus brought the plant to Europe. At first, it looked a bit different. Because she was smaller and yellowish. Hence the name Pomodoro in Italian means golden apple. But back then, people were skeptical, probably because people thought it was Adam and Eve’s apple of paradise. Thankfully, that has long been overcome and we now find them in a variety of recipes. We have collected the most important tips for tomatoes so that you too can take care of and use the plants properly at home.

1) Tips for planting tomatoes

The plant can grow between 20cm and two meters high. They like nutrient-rich and humus-rich soil that is well loosened. If you want to plant tomatoes, you can grow them in tubs, large pots, or in a greenhouse. Also, note the use of a growing mat for plants. You can also plant them outdoors, but then special hoods are recommended. You should also note the following things and read our tips on growing chili yourself.

• Keep the plant airy. This means that you should remove the leaves in between. But not too many at once or the tomatoes may burst.
• Water regularly at the bottom, but be sure to avoid waterlogging.
• Tomatoes hate rain. When the raindrops fall on the tomato leaves, leaves will wither.
• They love the sun. The more sun exposure, the bigger the fruit will be.
• Harvest time from the plant is 7 to 8 months after planting.

2) Store tomatoes properly

Don’t store tomatoes in the fridge. Because the longer and colder the plant is stored, the higher the probability that it will not taste good. But with a relative humidity of 75 to 80, you can store the tomatoes well. Then the last one to six weeks, depending on the variety and degree of ripeness. You should also store them at the following temperatures. In addition, note our tips on storing food correctly.

3) Tomatoes simply dry

There are three different ways you can dry your tomatoes. So it works in the oven, in the sun, or with a dehydrator. For all methods, you should core the fruit and cut it to the right size. So cut them into large slices and halve the small ones. Then you have to grease the grid of the oven or the dehydrator.

Then place them on the grid and season them to taste. In order for the tomatoes to dry successfully, you can heat them at between 50 – 90 degrees for about 6 – 10 hours, depending on the device. You should turn the tomato pieces several times. And in the oven, it is important that the moisture can escape. So leave the door open a crack. Also, note our tips for dehydrating and drying food.

4) Pickling tomatoes

You can also pickle your tomatoes after harvesting. So they last a long time. And you still have some of the tomato fruits you planted yourself in winter. You can insert them according to your taste according to different recipes. For this, you need water, vinegar, sugar, salt, peppercorns, and mustard seeds for the brew.

5) Can you freeze tomatoes?

Yes, you can freeze these. If you want to freeze tomatoes, you should choose ripe and firm fruits. Then you should wash and dry them thoroughly. You should also remove the stems. You can also freeze them whole or in pieces. Before you put them in the freezer, pack them in a jar or freezer bag. However, once thawed, you can only use them for cooking. Because they are very mushy. Since they lose their flavor in the cold, our tip is to process them directly into a delicious sauce and then freeze them. Or season them accordingly 10 minutes before freezing. Please also note our tips for freezing beans.

Tomatoes are not only delicious, but also extremely healthy. We’ll show you what’s in them and what you should look out for when buying.

Tomatoes (also known as “paradeiser” in Austria) are omnipresent in our diet. That’s why we rarely think about how healthy they actually are. Because tomatoes are small all-round talents that support our skin and our heart and are even said to prevent some types of cancer.

Ingredients and effect: This makes tomatoes healthy

Tomatoes are 95 percent water and 4 percent carbohydrates. Most of these are simple sugars like glucose and fructose. Nevertheless, they are particularly low in calories with 18 kilocalories per 100 grams.

Among other things, tomatoes have the following vitamins:
vitamin C
potassium
Vitamin K1
Vitamin B9 (folic acid)
In addition to the healthy vitamins, tomatoes are also rich in the following substances:
Lycopene (a carotenoid)
Beta Carotene (Pro-Vitamin A)
Naringenin (flavonoid, bitter substance)
chlorogenic acid
These different carotenoids, flavonoids and acids are responsible for the special healthy effects of tomatoes. You can support your health in many ways:
Sun and UV protection: Carotenoids and flavonoids are already responsible in the plant for offering protection from the sun’s harmful radiation. But they can also develop this effect in humans through the right diet: Beta-carotene and lycopene in particular have been proven to protect your skin from UV radiation and sunburn.
Obesity: Tomatoes reduce the side effects of morbid obesity: According to a study in which various overweight patients were given tomato powder, various symptoms were drastically reduced: metabolic problems decreased, fat deposits in the organs were reduced and inflammation in the fatty tissue decreased.
Diabetes: The lycopenes in tomatoes were also shown to reduce insulin resistance and inflammation levels in mice tested. Both lycopene and chlorogenic acid reduce blood triglycerides, which can be responsible for the development of diabetes. They are dietary fats that are regularly converted into energy in healthy people. If the intake is too high or if there are metabolic disorders such as diabetes or obesity, they can become a problem.
Prevents cancer: According to an analysis of various studies, lycopene reduces the risk of prostate cancer in older male patients. This is thought to be due to its antioxidant abilities. Furthermore, the substance has a supporting effect in the therapy of lung cancer.
Heart Health: Lycopenes reduce bad LDL cholesterol in the blood while also reducing inflammation and oxidative stress, all of which are detrimental to your heart’s aging and performance. The tomato substance also protects the cell walls and prevents deposits in your arteries.

Healthy tomatoes and their ripening process

Tomatoes produce a hormone gas called ethylene during their natural ripening process. However, as food producers want to get fresh tomatoes into stores, the vegetables are harvested green and sprayed with ethylene en route. This allows them to ripen just before they are sold and end up in the supermarket bright red.

As the tomatoes do not have time for their natural ripening process, the development of the natural taste and aroma of the berries is suppressed. This is also the reason why cheap tomatoes often taste watery and “like nothing”.

That’s why you should always use seasonal and local tomatoes. These do not have to travel long distances, so they can mature naturally and develop their full aroma.

You should also keep this in mind: The ripening hormone ethylene is also responsible for the fact that other fruits and vegetables near the healthy tomatoes ripen faster. That’s why you should always keep them away from other sensitive foods unless you want to speed up their ripening process (like avocados, for example).

Tomato allergy and intolerance

If you suffer from a pollen allergy, you are more likely to also suffer from certain food intolerances. This can include various types of fruit and vegetables, but also animal products such as chicken or eggs. One vegetable that is particularly affected is the tomato. So if you often have colds in spring and summer, you may not tolerate tomatoes.

This is because some fruits and vegetables contain proteins similar to those found in grass pollen. Your immune system then tries to fight them in a similar way, which can result in typical allergy symptoms, so if you experience symptoms such as itchy mouth and throat, breakouts, stomach pain and digestive problems, you may want to get tested by a doctor beforehand you order the next pizza.

In addition to pollen, there is another, rather unexpected allergy associated with the healthy vegetable: If you are allergic to latex, you may have a tomato allergy or intolerance. In the case of the so-called “latex-fruit syndrome”, it is also the defense proteins in the various fruits and the natural natural rubber that are very similar and are similarly warded off by the body.

Tomatoes: origin and botanical classification

Tomatoes are prepared in many different ways around the world. We mainly use them in salads or make tomato sauce for spaghetti and pizza. The vegetable only found its way to us in the 16th century:
Around 1500, Christopher Columbus brought the tomato from South America to Europe. Their name goes back to their original name in the Aztec language “Nahuatl”: “tomatl”. Europeans only started to actually eat them towards the end of the 16th century – before that, the tomato was seen more as a poisonous ornamental plant. Only towards the end of the First World War did the Germans start eating tomatoes regularly. Today they are an integral part of the local cuisine.

Tomatoes grow annually on shrubs and belong to the nightshade family. They come in different shapes and varieties: from the small, round cherry tomatoes to the oblong, firm roma tomatoes to the large, juicy beefsteak tomatoes. Botanically, however, tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) are not vegetables at all, but berries. Nevertheless, they are traditionally used for culinary purposes like vegetables.

Tomatoes should not be missing in any kitchen, especially in summer. To keep them fresh and tasty for as long as possible, it is important to store tomatoes correctly. We tell you what you should pay attention to.

Tomatoes are sensitive fruits when it comes to storage: they don’t like refrigerators, but they don’t like too much heat either, and they prefer to spend their time away from other fruits and vegetables. Storing tomatoes correctly not only affects their shelf life, but also their taste, because tomatoes that are harvested unripe continue to ripen in storage. Preparation for storage also plays an important role.

Depending on the variety, tomatoes can be kept for up to 14 days under optimal conditions.

How to prepare tomatoes for storage

Even before the actual storage, you can pay attention to certain things that will ensure that your tomatoes stay fresh for a long time.

If you harvest your own tomatoes, you should first harvest them with the stalks and blossom ends and do not remove them even if they have dried up. The green provides the tomatoes with nutrients even after they have been picked.

The following applies to both self-harvested and purchased tomatoes: it is better not to wash them before storing them. When washed tomatoes go into storage, any moisture left behind can quickly lead to mold growth. Overripe tomatoes, on the other hand, burst easily when pressure is applied to them during washing. Therefore: It is better to wash them just before you eat the tomatoes.

Store tomatoes correctly: It depends on the temperature and location

If you want your tomatoes to last as long as possible, the right temperature plays an important role. So the most important thing first: Tomatoes don’t belong in the fridge. This place is the worst imaginable for storing tomatoes. They react sensitively to cold, which means they lose their taste and acquire a floury consistency. In addition, their vitamin content is reduced by the cold temperatures.

But even an environment that is too warm is not good for the harvested tomatoes when they are already ripe. It causes tomatoes to continue to ripen and can therefore rot quickly.

Tomatoes feel best when they

at room temperature
in an airy but dark or shady place
be stored. A simple shelf or the kitchen table is therefore a suitable place to store tomatoes.

Tip for unripe tomatoes: If you want to let unripe tomatoes ripen, you can put them in a slightly warmer place, for example on a sunlit windowsill. Because the higher temperatures accelerate the post-ripening process.

Store tomatoes correctly: Better without neighbors

Another important point is that it is best to store the fruit separately from other fruits and vegetables. Ripe tomatoes emit ethylene, a gaseous plant hormone that stimulates nearby fruit and vegetables to ripen faster—and possibly rot as a result.

Other fruit and vegetables also emit the ripening gas, which means that tomatoes in turn ripen faster – and possibly go bad.

Fruits and vegetables you should keep separate from include tomatoes

Apples, bananas, pears, apricots
Cucumbers, peppers, hot peppers.
Tip for unripe tomatoes: You can of course take advantage of the effects of ethylene if you want to ripen unripe tomatoes faster. Then just store them with these other fruits and vegetables. After a few days, the tomatoes will have ripened and should then be stored separately.

Store tomatoes correctly: the right container

Many tomatoes from the supermarket come sealed in plastic. However, the fruit does not get enough oxygen in it and therefore rots faster. It is therefore better to buy tomatoes without plastic packaging from the start, so you are also doing something good for the environment.

Tomatoes prefer it airy. Therefore, place them in an open container, such as a bowl, basket, storage box without a lid, or on a plate. Baskets work particularly well if they are made of woven straw or metal struts, as this allows for good ventilation.

To prevent the tomatoes from bruising, you can line the container with a clean kitchen towel beforehand.

Tomatoes that are still green or unripe can be ripened in various ways. We’ll show you the five best ways to do this.

Tip 1: Let the tomatoes ripen on the plant

In order to preserve as much flavor as possible, it is best to let your tomatoes ripen directly on the plant. As soon as the temperature outside falls below ten degrees Celsius, you simply cut off the entire tomato plant with a sharp knife and remove its leaves. Then hang them upside down in a warm place. The warmer it is, the faster your tomatoes will ripen.

Tip 2: Wrap the tomatoes and let them ripen

If you only have a few green tomatoes left, you can easily wrap them in newspaper or paper bags to ripen. You can also make these paper bags yourself. Simply take the fruit off the plant with a piece of the stalk and wrap it in the paper. You then store the tomatoes in a warm, slightly damp place for a few days. The fruits do not need light with this method.

Attention: You often read that the printer’s ink on the newspaper is poisonous. Carcinogenic substances are severely restricted and partially banned by the European chemicals regulation REACH. The members of the Association of the German Paint and Printing Ink Industry also voluntarily undertake to comply with stricter guidelines. If you still want to avoid any printing inks, you can use unprinted paper bags.

Tip 3: Post-ripening in the container

If you have too many tomatoes to wrap individually, but you can’t let them ripen on the plant, you can use a variety of containers.

1) Let the tomatoes ripen in the box

Remove the tomatoes from the mother plant with a piece of the stalk and place them in a box or basket lined with newspaper. Make sure the fruits don’t bump into each other to avoid bruising. The tomatoes will now ripen in a few days in a dark, cool place.

2) Post-ripening in a mason jar

Place your tomatoes in clean, dry mason jars and seal tightly. Depending on the size of the jar, you should only add 2-3 tomatoes so they don’t crush each other. You then place the jars in a warm, dark room and let the fruit ripen there for about two weeks.

3) Leave to mature in the clay pot

Clean your chosen clay pot well and then place it in water for a few hours so that it absorbs moisture. Put your tomatoes in and cover the jar. You now fill the lid and the saucer with water so that the humidity remains constantly high due to evaporation. The tomatoes will now ripen within a few days in a warm place. You may need to top up the water from time to time.

Tip 4: Post-ripening in the greenhouse

Another good option is post-ripening in the greenhouse. With a minimum temperature of 16 and a maximum of 25 degrees Celsius and high humidity, the fruit here only need a few days to ripen.

Tip 5: Add apples

During the ripening process, fruit releases the gas ethylene, which is released into the environment. As a result, fruits influence each other during ripening and can speed up the process. Apples emit a particularly large amount of ripening gas, which is why fruits around them ripen faster. So you can simply add two to three apples to your green tomatoes and you will have beautiful red tomatoes in a few days.

Eating tomatoes again, have you ever thought about what they are? Hardly what it is – after all, they are so accustomed, you can buy them in any store, even in winter, even in summer. In fact, these vegetables are quite interesting, besides, they are popular almost all over the world. Their various varieties are grown on all continents, except Antarctica, as well as on most inhabited islands.

1. In the presence of moisture and nutrition, additional roots can form on any part of the tomato stem. The plant needs only a few days for this.
2. Some varieties of tomatoes can grow up to 2 meters in height. And the height of the smallest of them usually does not exceed 30-35 centimeters.
3. Choline, a substance found in tomatoes, helps lower blood cholesterol levels.
4. In Mediterranean countries, particularly Italy and Spain, tomato-based cold soups are popular. For example, the famous gazpacho soup.
5. Tomatoes are used as a seasoning and in dried form, and in 5-10 days of drying they lose up to 85-90% of their mass.
6. Historically, tomatoes come from South America. There, wild varieties are still found in nature.
7. Tomatoes came to Europe only in the middle of the 16th century, after the Europeans discovered the New World.
8. The world’s first tomato-based recipe was published in a recipe book published in 1692 in Naples. At the same time, the author of the recipe claimed to have borrowed it from Spain.
9. Scientists are working in many countries to develop new varieties of tomatoes. For example, when a cultivar was crossed with a wild tomato from the Galapagos Islands at the University of California, it was possible to obtain a cultivar with a salty taste. Experiments have shown that salted tomatoes grow well on sandy soils when watered with sea water.
10. For a long time, tomatoes were considered inedible and even poisonous, and therefore gardeners grew them as an exotic ornamental plant.
11. In the first place in the production of tomatoes, and by a huge margin, is China. India and the United States follow.
12. Every third tomato in the world is grown in China.
13. The pulp of ripe tomatoes in folk medicine is often used to treat wounds and burns. Fast healing occurs due to the high content of so-called plant antibiotics in the pulp of tomatoes – phytoncides, which prevent infection from developing.
14. At temperatures below +10 degrees, tomatoes lose their ability to reproduce, and the plant dies without leaving fruit.
15. Under suitable conditions, tomato seeds can be stored for up to 6-8 years without losing germination.
16. Unlike some other vegetables and fruits, green and unripe tomatoes, when picked, ripen well on their own.
17. From a botanical point of view, tomatoes are not vegetables or even fruits, but berries.
18. For a long time it was believed that the tomato is an aphrodisiac, but studies have shown that this is not the case.
19. Tomatoes are rich in fiber and vitamins A and C.
20. The world’s largest tomato was grown in the USA, in the state of Wisconsin. He weighed a whopping 2.9 kg.