How to make sundried tomatoes and feta in oil

fogs, Feb 19, 1:46am
Does anyone have a recipe for this. I have an excess of italian tomatoes and a dehydrator. Dreid them last year and it worked well but did not know how to make them keep in oil etc

amazing_grace, Feb 19, 3:31am
This is so easy. Dehdyrate the tomatoes, pack them into steralised jars, add a few sprigs of rosemary and some sliced garlic. Make sure everything is submerged. Top with steralised tops. Will keep for at least a year! I'm not sure about the feta thing tho... but I do make Labneh cheese from strained yoghurt and we keep that in oil inthe fridge but only for a few weeks. Have a look at www.gardeningincromwell. blogspot.com

fisher, Feb 19, 3:49am
fogs... use your dehydrator to dry your tomatoes... I do plain. . or sprinkle a grind of rock salt and black pepper. . and also do rock salt, black pepper and processed dried basil. . after drying to raisin consistency, place them in tupperware containers to seal and place in your fridge. . they will keep for nigh on a year. .
DO NOT put them in oil under any circumstances... ! ! ! ! !

mvr, Feb 19, 3:59am
why not put them with oil?

jag5, Feb 19, 4:13am
There are concerns of botulism. I personally think that if done properly, there shouldn't be a problem. I dry mine, then prepare them with the oil etc as needed. Plan a day ahead.

Also, if too much air gets into your bag of dried goods, (not just toms) they can go mouldy. Once dried they can be stored in the freezer, no mould. Had to throw out some toms and carrots last year, bummed.

herself, Feb 19, 4:15am
Botulism! If the garlic is not treated correctly botulism is a huge possibility. Google 'garlic oil botulism' and there you will find far better explanations than mine but they all amount to the same thing. Very NASTY!

uli, Feb 19, 4:18am
So what is "treated correctly" then ... ? ?

fisher, Feb 19, 4:27am
what I believe they are trying to do is infuse these flavours... the garlic needs to have ALL the water moisture removed. .
to me its simply easier to dry the tomatoes in the dehydrator and store. . then add olive oil, fresh garlic and fresh fine chopped rosemary to the tomatoes WHEN you are ready to use them. . just leave for an hour or so. . in fact it would be basil rather than rosemary I would be using . .

uli, Feb 19, 6:01am
well said fisher - that is exactly how I do it too LOL :)

amazing_grace, Feb 19, 6:45am
Okaaaay, I have always done them in oil, either with or without garlic and had no problems!

fogs, Feb 19, 8:07am
Thanks for the tips I did them in olive oil last year and then about 6 months later read about bugs breeding in the oil and panicked so wondered if there was a safe way to do it. How do they get away with selling it commercially then

herself, Aug 21, 8:19pm
The garlic must be preserved.
Dehydrating garlic cloves before submerging in oil will prevent food-borne illness, and the combination can be safely stored at room temperature as long as the garlic is properly dehydrated. If you're unsure, it's best to store the cloves in the refrigerator or freezer. Never store garlic in oil at room temperature. This can cause botulism, which leads to serious illness or even death if consumed. Always store fresh garlic preserved in oil in the refrigerator or freezer. Check the label on commercially prepared garlic-in-oil products for sale. If salt or acids are in the list of ingredients, then the product has been preserved and you do not need to worry about food poisoning, as long as you follow directions for storing the product.