Harvest?...sigh...

There's a scene in "Finding Nemo" that keeps running through my head these days.  It's the part where Nemo is encouraging the Tuna, who are about to be captured and reeled up in a gigantic net by a fishing boat to keep swimming down, in an effort to break the mast holding the net and setting them all free.  "Keep swimming...keep swimming..." they all chant together.

I feel the need to chant to the sun as we venture towards fall to "keep shining...keep shining!" since our 'better late than never' garden is making so much effort to produce in the short time we have left.  We have plenty of zucchini, cabbage, onions and potatoes, but the tomatoes are just stuck...green as grass.  And I so desperately want to get some canned and oven dried this season! 

If you have never oven dried tomatoes, it is very easy.  To prepare the tomatoes, wash and dry.  Use tomatoes that are relatively the same size.  For smaller sizes, cut in half (like small romas or even cherry); larger sizes can be quartered, but will take longer.  Place, cut side up, on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray.  Sprinkle tops with italian seasoning and a bit of kosher sea salt.  Place in oven at 200-250 degrees for several hours, checking about every hour for doneness.  Tomatoes are dried when gently pressed and no juices appear (they should still be pliable).  Place in airtight container and refrigerate (or freeze).  These are amazingly awesome on pizzas, italian dishes, salads, or just snacking (my daughter loves them after school).  They have a very concentrated, intense flavor when dried.  Hope you'll give it a try...and hopefully, that will be what I am doing soon too!