Using my car as an oven!

[vfem]

Ok, so I'm a little looney you are thinking, well, I am... but that's besides the point!

I'm not actually going to 'cook' in my car, I just don't want the oven on in my house all day helping me make sun-dried tomatoes. So I've set them up on a tray and put them out in my car. The average temp in my car is nearly 150 degrees, this should be great as a dehydrator. I have the windows cracked in the back and front less then an inch, I an going out ever hour to open and close the doors for slight circulation and then I just wait. I cut up about 50 cherry tomatoes, salted them with kosher salt to draw out some moisture and now I want to see what happens.

I have it up on my blog, and I'll add pictures through out the day. I've thinking these will take 2-3 good hot days to work, but I think they will work. I will bring them in as it cools after dinner.

Http://fromseed.blogspot.com <--------- pics here

 

[Raiquee]

I hope you have good luck! I am anxiously awaiting your results, as I want to make sun dried toms too this year. Packed in garlic olive oil, yum YUM!

Hope everything goes well with you! I have 5 cars in my driveway and can make a heck of a lot of sun dried toms this season!

 

[newnanchic]

We have done it here in Ga with apples and peaches !!!

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

You should have done it last week since it's so "cool" here this week.... only low 90's. lol We have been dehydrating tomatoes here to make tomato/basil chicken sausage.

Steve

 

[vfem]

Quote:
Oh Steve! I now must use some for sausage!!!!

Newnanchic, that is so great to know it can be done. I have no apples or peaches on my trees this year (horrible early season winds blew them all off), but I may want to do it next year if this works.

I wish I started yesterday, it was like 103 with the heat index.

The reality is, I haven't much time to do anything I want, let alone, need to do! My garden needs help, watering, fertilizing and some tomato plants look to have succombed to blight and must get pulled, while I treat all my healthy plants with neem oil.

I am actually 'canning' some juice concentrates today, so the oven ended up on anyways... I just had a few watermelons I needed to do something with... and a couple hand fulls of blueberries I picked I have no room for anywhere else. CRAZY busy kitchen life here.

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

If you'd have done it last week, they'd surely have burnt.

 

[vfem]

Quote:
Oh to tell people I cooking the tomatoes in my car, and it was so hot that burned... would be too funny!!!!

 

[JimandCillasGirls]

My great aunt used to do it every year. She had a couple of cars, so during the summer they were full of fruits and vegetables drying. Can still taste her apple leather....yummm!

 

[KDbeads]

Just come here..... you won't need the car. It will be 104 or 105 by 3 pm and will stay that way for a few hours at least.... plus we are really dry right now (no rain 3+ weeks now) so just leaving anything sitting out in the sun will dry it out so fast it's ridiculous. I can dry heavy duty work jeans on the line in 10 minutes, when I care to dare the sun.

 

[vfem]

These are the tomatoes at 3pm (put them out just after 10am)