I had intended to share lessons learned and answer any remaining questions from our day of posting sauce-making shots but I realized this post would have to come first as it may create another list of questions unto itself.
After trying a small batch this year, we completed the cycle of preserving the entire fruit by dehydrating the remaining skins:
The skins and seeds are:
- Bitter/ strong-tasting
- Highly concentrated (6 bushels of skins and seeds which were almost 11 liters/ quarts before drying were less than 2 when completed)
- Full of nutrients (although some will also caution their use if they were heavily sprayed/ non-organic).
We will store them in large chunks (this will preserve their flavor) in a mason jar with a lid on it (not sealed) and make small batches into powder by quickly freezing it and then blitzing it in a blender of spice grinder.
Dehydrating was simple – we spread out the ingredients (roughly) in the dehydrator and placed it on 125 degrees farenheit for 24 hours. They are complete when they are frail and crunchy.
The primary use of our powder will be an additive to sauce. Dry food acts like a sponge and soaks up the most viscous liquid. In essence, this powder will function like a dehydrated tomato paste.
But sauce alone isn’t going to consume this huge amount of skin. Here’s other uses for tomato powder:
- Baking (thinks scones and buns not cake)
- Dry rubs
- Soup
- Stir fry
- As an ingredient in homemade noodles
- An ingredient in BBQ and other savory sauces
- In pizza dough (or on the pizza itself)
- As an ingredient added to fermentations to increase the savory/ umami profile of a dish
