Principe Borghese; how do you dry these?

BarbJ · April 17, 2012

Principe Borghese, I'm gonna try this one this year. I've read this is generally a drying tomato, and at the price of sun-dried tomatoes at the store, I thought I'd give them a try.

Has anyone dried this one? I live in Central California, so pretty good weather for outdoor drying. My town made a living 60-100 years ago drying Apricots outdoors, so I think it could be done with tomatoes.

Do you pick the trusses and hang them, or lay them singly on tray? Full sun, or shade, but warm?
Do you have to sulfur smoke them like apricots or not?

Can you do them in the oven, in case fall weather is cool and foggy, which can happen here?

If you've dried any tomatoes, not just these, I'd love to hear about it!

OK, my bad, didn't realize there's a whole area about this subject and this tomato specifically. D'oh!
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...ncipe+Borghese

So, sorry 'bout that!

But if anyone wants to talk about them anyway, I'd still love to hear about it!
Thanks!

Tracydr · April 18, 2012

I haven't dried these but I dried Cherokee purples and cherry tomatoes last year. I have a dehydrator (Nesco) and put them on the recommended setting. I think it's 125 or so. I've read on here to soak in balsamic or red wine, which I'll try this year but they came out great without last year.

Father'sDaughter · April 18, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tracydr

I haven't dried these but I dried Cherokee purples and cherry tomatoes last year. I have a dehydrator (Nesco) and put them on the recommended setting. I think it's 125 or so. I've read on here to soak in balsamic or red wine, which I'll try this year but they came out great without last year.

I used the same method. It's typically too humid here to even think about drying anything naturally. Brokenbar has posted her tomato drying instructions on here and at several other garden sites, and I'm planning to give her method a try this year with some larger tomato varieties she recommends. The Principe Borghese dried were fantastic, but mine didn't a whole lot bigger than cherries.

zabby17 · April 21, 2012

BarbJ,

Not a climate for outdoor drying here, either, so I can't advise you on that. But I do dry a lot of small tomatoes just in my oven on low---don't have a dehydrator. I've done cherries for years: cut 'em in half, put on a cookie sheet, salt lightly if desired, put in oven at 150 or 200. Take 'em out when leathery and only a little sticky---BEFORE crispy stage. They dry in about 3 to 8 hours.

Last year I grew Principe Borghese for the first time and dried most of them (though it was a pretty good snacking tomato, too). Like Father's Daughter, I found mine were small, more like large cherries (though it was not a very good year for big maters here). And like her, I thought they WERE especially good dried.

I still have a few---I store them in Ziplocs in the freezer once dry. (They usually keep just fine on the shelf, and if you use a dehydrator you can probably do that with confidence. But occasionally I have some that get moldy and I can easily lose a whole batch that way, so I put 'em in the freezer just in case. Don't take up much room.)

I was thinking of using the last of them on a pizza tonight, in fact.

Z

April 17, 2012	#1
BarbJ Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: California, USA Posts: 154	Principe Borghese; how do you dry these? Principe Borghese, I'm gonna try this one this year. I've read this is generally a drying tomato, and at the price of sun-dried tomatoes at the store, I thought I'd give them a try. Has anyone dried this one? I live in Central California, so pretty good weather for outdoor drying. My town made a living 60-100 years ago drying Apricots outdoors, so I think it could be done with tomatoes. Do you pick the trusses and hang them, or lay them singly on tray? Full sun, or shade, but warm? Do you have to sulfur smoke them like apricots or not? Can you do them in the oven, in case fall weather is cool and foggy, which can happen here? If you've dried any tomatoes, not just these, I'd love to hear about it! OK, my bad, didn't realize there's a whole area about this subject and this tomato specifically. D'oh! http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...ncipe+Borghese So, sorry 'bout that! But if anyone wants to talk about them anyway, I'd still love to hear about it! Thanks! Last edited by BarbJ; April 17, 2012 at 09:41 PM. Reason: more info

April 18, 2012	#2
Tracydr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7 Posts: 3,207	I haven't dried these but I dried Cherokee purples and cherry tomatoes last year. I have a dehydrator (Nesco) and put them on the recommended setting. I think it's 125 or so. I've read on here to soak in balsamic or red wine, which I'll try this year but they came out great without last year.

April 21, 2012	#4
zabby17 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Ontario Posts: 211	BarbJ, Not a climate for outdoor drying here, either, so I can't advise you on that. But I do dry a lot of small tomatoes just in my oven on low---don't have a dehydrator. I've done cherries for years: cut 'em in half, put on a cookie sheet, salt lightly if desired, put in oven at 150 or 200. Take 'em out when leathery and only a little sticky---BEFORE crispy stage. They dry in about 3 to 8 hours. Last year I grew Principe Borghese for the first time and dried most of them (though it was a pretty good snacking tomato, too). Like Father's Daughter, I found mine were small, more like large cherries (though it was not a very good year for big maters here). And like her, I thought they WERE especially good dried. I still have a few---I store them in Ziplocs in the freezer once dry. (They usually keep just fine on the shelf, and if you use a dehydrator you can probably do that with confidence. But occasionally I have some that get moldy and I can easily lose a whole batch that way, so I put 'em in the freezer just in case. Don't take up much room.) I was thinking of using the last of them on a pizza tonight, in fact. Z