EXPERIMENT: Tomatoes to Powder

After purchasing forty pounds of tomatoes from our local organic grower and transforming most ot them in Marinara Sauce in Canning jars,and dehydrating most of the rest and in the process of turning some of them to powder, I have 7 1/2 pounds remaining.

My experiment is to slice, dry and weigh them at different stages, the result being how much lighter they are  at the end.

So, measurements at this time:      3.80 kg      7.50 (decimalised)  pounds

I love experiments! 

After making sauce this year, we took the skins & seeds & dh'd. Then ground them to powder. We add to soup, sauces, gravies, etc.

AtlantaMarie wrote:After making sauce this year, we took the skins & seeds & dh'd.  Then ground them to powder.  We add to soup, sauces, gravies, etc.  

I should imagine that the skins will give more colour.

Kelejan wrote:After purchasing forty pounds of tomatoes from our local organic grower and transforming most of them into Marinara Sauce in Canning jars,and dehydrating most of the rest and in the process of turning some of them to powder, I have 7 1/2 pounds remaining.

My experiment is to slice, dry and weigh them at different stages, the result being how much lighter they are  at the end.

So, measurements at this time:      3.80 kg      7.50 (decimalised)  pounds

Update:
Sept 20        9:30pm     3.00 kg      6.50   Very sticky

Sept 21        5:30am     1.90 kg      4.00   Sticky in places
Sept 21        1:00pm     0.20 kg      0.45   Pliable but not yet brittle

Kelejan wrote:

Kelejan wrote:After purchasing forty pounds of tomatoes from our local organic grower and transforming most of them into Marinara Sauce in Canning jars,and dehydrating most of the rest and in the process of turning some of them to powder, I have 7 1/2 pounds remaining.

My experiment is to slice, dry and weigh them at different stages, the result being how much lighter they are  at the end.

So, measurements at this time:      3.80 kg      7.50 (decimalised)  pounds

Update:
Sept 20        9:30pm     3.00 kg      6.50   Very sticky

Sept 21        5:30am     1.90 kg      4.00   Sticky in places
Sept 21        1:00pm     0.20 kg      0.45   Pliable but not yet brittle

Excellent. 

I forgot to mention that I have ended up with four small canning jars of dried tomato powder.  

Red Gold dust.

I am now going back to the pile of tomato slices that are dried to the pliable stage, cutting them up with scissors and drying them to brittle and then powdering them.

sanderson wrote:How many pounds do the 4 little jars represent?

7 1/2 pounds, sanderson. You will see it in my first posting.


The contents of the little jars amount to a little over 7 ounces.
As a rough guide, one ounce of powder = one pound of tomatoes.

Very Nice Kelejan!

I have 6-1/4 ounces tomato powder from about 7 pounds of tomatoes or so.  If you were to buy this stuff online I see the prices are all over the place.  From 50 cents an ounce(in bulk) to just over a dollar an ounce when purchasing a half pound or so.  And it doesn't claim to be organic like yours and mine either. Ours is worth more then right? ; )
This is a fun way to use up end of the season fruit and not waste anything.  This is satisfying and a bit addicting...  There are peppers in the dehydrator as I write.

Just finished an article that claims the powder is good for about 5 months when stored properly.  If we leave it in chipped pieces the shelf life goes up to 5 Years, because there is less surface area exposed and degrading in chip form compared to  powdered.  Hmm. I need to read up more on this.  Does anyone else have experience with shelf life comparing  powder to chipped pieces?

That is interesting LLM,  in that our results are very similar from starting weight to finishing. As in any experiments, duplicating it confirms the reaults.

My experience with dehydrating is that the stuff will last for years if kept in sealed containers. I have eaten bananas and apples several years old and they still tasted good.

Purchasing a half pound at a $1 per ounce makes it $16 per pound. so as I purchased my organic tomatoes @ $1 per pound that makes it really worthwhile. Mind you, if you do not enjoy doing this kind of thing, you may consider it slave labor if you wanted to sell; you know how much effort it takes.  Based on my own tomato plants results this year, if duplicated next year  I will have more than enough tomatoes not to buy any, now that at last I seem to have mastered the art of growing tomatoes.

Being able to produce some of my own organic food and preserving it in various ways, does give me the benefit of being a rich person without actually being rich money-wise and keeping me healthy at the same time and also being able to share with others when I have too much.  I would never consider selling my efforts because my efforts and results are, to me, priceless.

Kelejan wrote:Being able to produce some of my own organic food and preserving it in various ways, does give me the benefit of being a rich person without actually being rich money-wise and keeping me healthy at the same time and also being able to share with others when I have too much.  I would never consider selling my efforts because my efforts and results are, to me, priceless.

Those are very wise words Kelejan. I love to read your posts on the forum.