Homemade Sun-Dried Tomatoes (Summer in a Jar)

Back in the summer of 2020 I visited the organic farm Michaeli in Kibbutz Zikim. Dudu, whose family owns the farm, grows the most incredible fruits and vegetables there. From watermelons with the deepest red you’ve ever seen to small sweet peppers, lettuce, herbs, and zucchini. And also mini cucumbers, melon, and so much more.

I spent half a day there, from 4:30 in the morning until the hot midday hours, but I barely tasted the vegetables in the field. Partly because we were filming most of the time (I was there for a shoot), and partly because it was so hot that I couldn’t think about anything except a shower—after which I planned to stand in front of the AC for an hour.

Luckily, just before I got into the car, I received a gift—a crate full of fruits and vegetables. Ones that still had dirt on them, that I knew were in the earth just moments before.

Among the contents of the box, there were sweet, red tomatoes that very quickly turned into sun-dried tomatoes at home. It was the perfect way to keep summer in a jar.

So what do you do with them once they’re ready? Oh, so many things.

– Eat them just as they are, with fresh challah and a bit of olive oil from the jar.
– Blend them into a spread—then you’ve got the perfect sun-dried tomato spread for sandwiches, savory pastries, and cooking.
– Chop and add to any dish—rice, meatballs, sauces.
– Chop and add to salads or savory pastries.
– Blend and mix into tahini—dreamy.
– Think of them as little flavor bombs of concentrated tomato.

What’s amazing about this oven method is how it intensifies their flavor. A pure concentration of natural sweetness that comes from the tomatoes themselves. And no, there’s no oil during baking—the goal is to dry them out (the salt helps with that and seasons them at the same time) and draw out their juices. Don’t worry—the moisture comes back once you store them in the oil.

Heavenly Sun-Dried Tomatoes

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Serves: 1 medium jar Prep Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 1 hour 30 minutes 1 hour 30 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

• 50 cherry tomatoes (preferably plum cherry variety)
• 1 heaping tablespoon coarse salt
• 3–4 sprigs thyme (optional but highly recommended)
• High-quality olive oil, for covering the tomatoes in the jar

Instructions

– Preheat the oven to 230°F (110°C).
– Slice the tomatoes in half and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cut side facing up.
– Generously sprinkle with coarse salt and sprinkle thyme leaves on top.
– Bake in a preheated oven at 230°F for 1½ hours, or until the tomatoes have shrunk but are still red.
– Transfer to a clean jar and cover completely with olive oil.
– Store in the refrigerator, making sure not to insert dirty utensils into the jar so the tomatoes keep as long as possible.

Wonderful natural sweetness

Notes

– You can sprinkle the tomatoes with black pepper or chili flakes for a spicier version.
– Do not drizzle oil over the tomatoes before baking—the goal is not to fry or roast them, but to caramelize and concentrate their natural sweetness. Oil at this stage will prevent them from drying out properly.
– Plum cherry tomatoes are the sweetest, but any cherry tomatoes will work.
– After filling the jar, you can add sliced garlic cloves and/or slices of fresh chili pepper.
– How long do they keep? A good several weeks, as long as you don’t introduce anything unclean into the jar.
– Don’t make less than one full batch—they shrink a lot in the oven and disappear even faster.
– Want to make someone happy? Prepare a jar like this and give it as a gift.

I just adore them