Dehydrating tomatoes

Oh I am blessed with a bounty of tomatoes.  I planted them early BECAUSE I COULD ( in California) and I am now in the middle of my harvest!!! I have shared them with friends, family and neighbors.  I have canned them diced in Marinara sauce and in salsa and honestly I'm out of jars and have a dehydrator so that's what I'm doing now.  Two years ago I did the same and then vacuum sealed the dried tomatoes in batches.  They are easy to store and are very light weight.  Then in winter they are on the shelf ready to throw into a soup or slow cooked meal.  Here's the journey:

the morning harvest

Start with great tomatoes 

dehydrator

I use an electrical one

sliced tomatoes

slice 3/8 inch thick

half dried

After about 6 hours ( above)

completely dried

ready to be sealed

Aren't they gorgeous!!!

Hold on to your dreams- Poppy and the Pomegranate tree

Goats are most entertaining at 6 am and in the evening.  Shortly after letting the goats out of the barn in the morning-yes at 6 am baby Poppy (2 months) reaches for leaves that she can possibly reach by going to her back legs:

She is reaching for the leaves to nibble on but this is a pomegranate tree and please don't take the fruit with you Poppy:

pomegranate blossom

These young fruit will be so divine to eat in 4 months if she'll just leave them alone

young pomegranate fruit

How will they ever become yummy jelly if you eat them?

pomegranate jelly

The next morning Poppy saw opportunity knock when her MaMa LuLu walked under the tree:

Go for it Poppy!