HOW TO PRESERVE TOMATO IN TWO WAYS

I preserve tomatoes in 2 ways

 1.Boiling/steaming method

 2.drying method

  *BOILING OR STEAMING

  ~ Wash tomatoes and pepper ( no onions pls)

  ~ grind/blend

  ~ boil/steam just for a while

  ~ pour in a sack and drain overnight, the way you do to your pap (ogi).

  ~ after draining put back on fire and steam till no more trace of water.

   ~ pour in airtight containers. preferably you can use either bama bottles or Santana leather the type being used for Moi - Moi. if you are using Santana pls pour quantities you may use just once and ensure they are well dried.

  ~ now put water in a bigger pot on the fire and  bring to boiling point, then pour in all the tomato bottles or Santana  inside the boiling water and allow to boil for about 20mins

  ~ after this you can now keep your tomatoes on the shelf for as long as 4months

  note: after drying and boiling in the containers you don't have to open again. some people complain that after some days they notice some whitish fungal like growth on the surface of the tomatoes, this only occur when the containers or Santana is not airtight.

 Note: in case  u scoop out a little portion to cook always ensure that u reboiled the  bottle(leftover tomato) at least for 20mins then keep it back in shelf.

    BY DRYING

   this is simpler, all you need do is slice  your tomatoes and dry them on a clean surface. However there are two  challenges associated with this method.

 1. The outer layer of a  tomato contain something that has the capacity to attract moisture ( I  don't know what the scientists call it again) this make it difficult for  tomatoes to dry easily. When you dry tomatoes in the day time when not  completely dry before morning it becomes wet again. so hamattan  season  is the best time to dry tomatoes as can dry both at day and night time.

  2. mostly people complain that when they use dry tomatoes in making Stew, it is always black in color. this is so because in most cases you  don't take the time to wash it. I soak my dry tomatoes in warm water for  a minimum of one hour before use at times I even leave it inside water overnight and wash properly before use. If you soak it long in water it does not only eliminate the blackness but it also remove all form of  sand.

   One thing I discovered about dry tomatoes is that when you  use it you won't find any sourness in the taste. Why not try it out  today?