How to Freeze Dry Tomatoes

• Begin by washing your tomatoes to remove any debris.
• Dry the tomatoes well.
• Remove the stem and core.
• Remove any bruises, insect holes, or bad spots.
• Slice, dice, or blend the tomatoes and place onto a freeze dryer tray that fits inside of your machine.  Do not overfill the trays.  Only fill them in a single layer diced or sliced, and no more than half full of tomato sauce.
• Prefreeze the tray of tomatoes for at least 24 hours.
• Place all of the trays into the freeze dryer and follow the instructions on the screen.
• When the process is complete and before defrosting your machine, make sure the tomatoes are dried all the way.  Feel them to make sure that no moisture remains and none of them are gummy.
• When the process is complete, defrost your freeze dryer or open the door and let it defrost naturally.
• Remove the trays and place the food into short or long term storage.

How to Store Freeze Dried Tomatoes

Short Term Storage – store in a glass jar:

• Wash and dry your jars and canning lids.
• Simply use your funnel to fill jars with your sliced, diced, or powdered tomatoes. 
• Seal the lid with your FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer and FoodSaver Jar Sealer.
• Store them away from direct sunlight, moisture, and oxygen (this is why I use the jar sealer).

Long Term Storage – store in Mylar bags:

• Gather your bags, a funnel, a permanent marker, oxygen absorbers, and an impulse sealer.
• Label the bags first before adding any food.  Write the contents, any quick notes on rehydrating, and the date.
• Use the funnel to fill the bags with your sliced, diced, or powdered tomatoes.
• Add the properly sized oxygen absorbers to each bag.
• Use the impulse sealer to seal the bags.  I usually seal them twice to be on the safe side.
• Store them for 20+ years by properly sealing them with the oxygen absorbers, placing them out of direct sunlight, and storing them away from moisture.
• Homesteading Tip – I place all of my Mylar bags with freeze dried food in plastic totes.  Label the outside of the tote to easily grab what you are looking for.

How to Rehydrate Freeze Dried Tomato Powder

• Tomato Paste – 1:1 ratio ~ Add one part tomato powder to one part of water.
• Tomato Sauce – 1:4 ratio ~ Add one part of tomato powder to four parts of water.
• Tomato Juice – 1:8 ratio ~ Add one part of tomato powder to eight parts of water.