Sun Dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil

Not only are my tomatoe trees still producing an abundance of tomatoes, but I picked up 16 roma tomaotes at Aldi's for less than 3 dollars.  They were beautiful and I was in the mood to experiment at bit.  I tell all my freinds it "Science meets Religion Night" in my house.  It is either an experiment which in the end we praise God it turned out so well, or a burnt offering, but either way I learn along the way and have fun.

The process does take a while from start to finish, but the work was a breeze.  It definately didn't hurt that these were by far the nicest tomatoes I've bought in a while.  Step one is simple.  After you rinse the outside, just slice them down the center and lay skin side down on the dehydrating tray. 

This was my first attempt at anything this thick so I was in the dark as to how long it would take to dry them completely.  In the end it took all of 24 hours to fully dry them.  I was going to just store them in my dry pantry for later use, but I just couldn't stop there.  I found these adorable 4 oz Ball jelly jars at Wal-Mart for less than a dollar a piece, so I decided to jar them and store them in olive oil.

After sterilizing the jars, I packed them to the top with layers of sun dried tomatoes, fresh herbs, and elephant garlic slices.  Not only will the tomatoes taste wonderful as the flavors infuse them, but the oil will taste wonderful for dipping fresh baked Italian Bread into.  I plan on refilling these jars annually as my garden blesses me with more than I can use for the moment.  Chow, Bella