Packing the flavor of summer into jars

In this story: Homemade "Sun"-dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil Homemade "Sun"-dried Tomatoes in Wine and Herb Marinade Pasta Sauce with Fresh and Dried Tomatoes RELATED STORIES, SITES

By Mary Carroll
Los Angeles Times Syndicate

(Los Angeles Times Syndicate) -- To my mind, the best part of this time of year is garden-ripe tomatoes. Even when the rest of the garden has succumbed to the heat, the ruby globes still expand beneath their canopy of furry leaves.

Just brushing up against the waist-high tomato bushes releases the pungent scent of salads into the hot air.

Come winter, I know I'm going to wish for this scent, this heady flavor. Even though my tomato plants will be dug under mulch and snowfall, I'll have packed memories of them into jars of sun-dried tomatoes.

I first sun-dried fresh tomato slices on my back porch in Palo Alto, California, lining thick slices on screens from an overproducing garden. Covered with thin layers of cheesecloth, they dried easily before the birds snapped them up. But because of the moist summer air of my current home, my sun-dried tomatoes are made in a slow oven indoors. They taste just as good, and are a little easier to guard from curious feathered or four-footed friends.

It's hard to believe that the tomato has had such a short history in our country. Americans beheld the first edible tomato in 1840 when a New Jersey farmer stood on courthouse steps and ate a raw tomato in front of a crowd to prove it was not poisonous. It took much longer for the sun-dried tomato to catch on; for many years they were only sold in gourmet stores.

But consider the advantages of sun-dried tomatoes: Afew slices in a low-fat tomato sauce adds buttery flavor that reminds me of olive oil. Their flavor is more intense than fresh tomatoes, especially when they're made with the meaty Roma (Italian plum) tomato.

Preserving sun-dried tomatoes is as simple as packaging the dried slices into Ball jars. I keep mine in the refrigerator for up to six months. I also enjoy homemade sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil or other marinades.

The easiest way to set up your tomato drying is to line baking sheets with racks used for cooling baked goods.