Storing up Local Delights: Dehydrating Tomatoes

In addition to eating local fare during the Eat Local Challenge, we've decided that it would behoove us to do a bit of "putting up" as well (to supplement our supply of local foods during the long Wisconsin winter).

One of the things that we've been harvesting in abundance from our backyard garden is tomatoes. These lovely Italian drying tomatoes were just begging to be "sun-dried," so we decided to try our hand at some version of that process.

We were lucky enough to have inherited a food dehydrator from my mother a few years' back (she got it during the food dehydrating "trend" of the 1980's). So, we had the perfect vehicle for drying those sweet young things.
After chopping them in half and arranging them neatly on the dehydrator screens, we forgot about them for about 12 hours.
While we weren't looking, they transformed into these delightfully wrinkly little treats.To ensure that they make it through at least part of the winter, I've packed them up into bags and placed them into the freezer. Some of them will be noshed upon like raisins. Others will be re-hydrated in herbed olive oil and used in pastas, on bruschetta, and in sandwiches.
But, there is little doubt that, whichever way we choose to consume them, they will be a pleasant reminder of summer!



©BURP! Where Food Happens

Kitchen tools we wished we owned

Our entire (albeit small) KITCHEN (along with part of our basement and a section of our spare bedroom closet) is devoted to the storage of useful kitchen tools. There was a time when we would have DENIED being gadget freaks; but, these days we are beginning to realize our obsession. Whenever a new piece of kitchen equipment (or tableware) is introduced to the household, it inspires a frenzy. Where in the WORLD are we going to put another piece of kitchen equipment??

Our lack of space, however, doesn't prevent us from dreaming...
Here's a list of a few of our latest desires (you might be surprised by the things we DON'T own):

• The Miraculous SideSwipe Spatula Mixer Blade -- Oh, the things we could whip up effortlessly with this handy dandy gadget. It would be the perfect accompaniment to our 6-quart KA mixer!
• The ever useful enameled cast iron Dutch Oven (we wouldn't even be snobs about the branding on this one)
• The Tagine -- for cooking up Middle Eastern, Asian, and African specialties.
• The Mr. Bento Lunch Jar -- oh, the feasts we could cook up and take to work if only we had two of these!
• We definitely need a new meat thermometer (I really need to check out the Cook's Illustrated ratings on these), as our old one has seen better days.
• Oh, yes! And a pizza peel for making Burp's seriously delicious pies.