Turn Tomato Powder into Fresh Tomato Paste. Or Sauce. Or Juice.

So after yesterday's post, we all know how super simple it is to make tomato powder. Right?

Now, what do we do with tomato powder? Of course, it could be added into your cooking as is. It also could be incorporated into any pre-made dry mixes you might wish to make. (I have some "rice-a-roni" ones I'll share with you sometime.) Today, however, I'd like to show you how quickly and easily you can turn that powder into fresh tomato paste. Or sauce. Or juice. (You get the idea.)

In order to reconstitute your powder into paste or sauce, you just need to add a bit of water. Whether you want paste or sauce, it's all about the ratio. One part powder + one part water = paste.

And one part powder + three parts water = sauce!

Though I didn't make any juice, the recipe I have is 1 tsp. powder + 1/2 cup water. Of course, you are the chef, so the consistency of any of these is really up to you.

No more tomato paste tubes! Or, no more opening a can of either paste or sauce and only using half of it! No more added salt or chemicals! And the flavor of this is intensely * deliciously * tomato-y. (Like how I did that?) If you're lucky to be using tomatoes from your organically grown garden, there's the added benefit of no pesticides involved. Need I say more?

Here's a pinnable pic to sum things up.  Enjoy!

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Shared at Green Thumb Thursday, From the Farm Blog Hop, and Homestead Barn Hop.

How to Make Tomato Powder for Fresh Tomato Paste and Sauce

A couple of months ago, really on a whim, I bought a food dehydrator. And, guess what. I. LOVE. It. Really. I'm talkin' starry eyed love. I've made dried strawberries, made banana chips, dehydrated onions, and made garlic powder, for starters. Oh, the fun I've had!

Now, I don't have a garden that's producing a ton of tomatoes (yet!), but last week my local Aldi's had a great deal on some fresh Romas.  They were 79¢ for 20 oz.  That's a wonderful price for my area. If you do have a ton of tomatoes coming out of your garden (or somehow end up with more than you know what to do with), this is another great way to preserve them.

I've dried tomatoes before, but stopped short of making powder.  I became enamored with the tomato chips I had created when B started eating them straight off the dehydrator.  So I packaged them just as they were and put them in the pantry.  Imagine how clever I thought I was when I saw a post by Christy Jordan at Southern Plate talking about the same thing!

Anyway, back to the powder. It's so darn simple.

First, take your washed tomatoes and slice them up. I used a cheap nothing-fancy mandolin with a thin slice blade. (Here's a link to one like it at Amazon, but mine cost even less. I got it for about $10 at Bed, Bath, & Beyond. It does have fewer blades, though.)

Next, I loaded up my dehydrator. I did put the tomato slices in a single layer, of course, but wasn't too picky about them touching.

And I dried them to a crisp.  Since I sliced them thin, it only took about 7 hours at 135°.

Finally, I threw them in a blender and pulverized them to a powder!

So easy, right?! A little under 5 pounds of tomatoes netted me about a half pint of powder. Come back tomorrow, and I'll show you how to reconstitute your fresh tomato powder into fresh paste and sauce. Yum!

Shared at Green Thumb Thursday, From the Farm Blog Hop, Homestead Barn Hop, and Tasty Tuesdays.

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