Wash your tomatoes, rinsing well in clean water to remove any field dirt or residue.

Trim the stem end to remove the stem and any woody core.

You may want to blanch and skin the tomatoes, especially if they will be rehydrated and used in cooked recipes. For snacking, you can leave the skin on. You can leave the skin on cherry or grape tomatoes, or small roma-type or San Marzano tomatoes. Larger slicing-type tomatoes should be peeled.

To blanch the tomatoes, cut a small X in the base of the tomato. Dunk in a pot of boiling water for a few seconds, or until the skins begin to loosen. Use an ice bath or cold water to stop the cooking rapidly after blanching.

Using a sharp knife or mandoline, thinly slice your tomatoes into 1/4-1/2" thick slices. Thinner slices will dry faster. Make sure they're consistent. Slice paste-type tomatoes thinner and the more watery slicing tomatoes thicker.

You can also cut them into uniform 1/2" dice, or thin wedges or strips. Cherry or grape tomatoes should be cut in half, or into wedges.

You can do different shapes in a single dehydrator batch, but try to keep one shape per tray as they may dry at different rates.

Spread the tomatoes out in an even single layer on your dehydrator trays (or sheet pans, if you are oven drying).

I like to use silicone mesh liners in my dehydrator trays, which keeps the tomatoes from sticking to the trays or falling through them. The pieces will shrink a lot, especially diced vegetables!

Your batch size and how closely the slices are spaced will affect the drying time, so adjust as needed. Dehydration times will also vary with the power of your dehydrator… check your dehydrator manual for guidelines if you have one, but know that these are usually optimistic estimates unless you live in the desert!

However, check your dried tomatoes frequently towards the end of their drying time, as the sugars in them can scorch and burn if they are dried too long or at too high heat. You may want to turn your dehydrator down towards the end so that they don't burn.

Dry them until they are completely dry all the way through. They will be shriveled and a fraction of their beginning size, but should still have a nice bright red-orange color.

This is a good practice with all home dehydrated foods, and will help prevent mold in storage and equalizes moisture content in your dried foods for more consistent quality.

Place your freshly dehydrated food into a clear glass jar with a tightly fitting lid.

Do not overfill the jar. You want the jar less than 2/3rd full, with room to shake and move the produce around. Split into several jars if necessary.

Leave the dried tomatoes in the jar for several days or up to a week, shaking the jar periodically and checking for condensation and clumping that indicate uneven drying.

If you see condensation in the jar, immediately return to the dryer or oven.

After conditioning, divide your dehydrated tomatoes into storage containers and seal.

You can pack in glass jars (new or reused) with tightly fitting lids, airtight plastic containers, and vacuum or mylar bags.

Glass jars and mylar bags are best for long-term storage (plastic is porous and will let oxygen in over time, even with a vacuum seal or moisture absorber packets).

Some people like to freeze-treat their home dried foods for additional protection against pests or spoilage. This is not the same as freeze-drying, but may extend shelf-life. If you have room in your freezer, you can store your dried foods there. Make sure the bag is sealed and airtight, or you may create problems with condensation when you remove the bags from the freezer.