our first tomatoes to ripen
this season
were our romas
unfortunately
they ripened
while we were away from home
by the time i picked them
they had
shriveled on the vine
handfuls upon handfuls
baking in the sun
going from
sun-kissed
to
heat stroke
solar energy
had zapped my tomatoes
once picked
i sliced each tomato in half
placed cut side up on a sheet pan
sprinkled with sea salt
and
placed in a 175-200 degree oven to dry
about 2 hours later
or maybe 3
i lost count
(check on them every 30 minutes after the 1st hour)
they were done
dry but not dried out
after cooling
i stuffed the deep red chewy goodness
into a fancy jar
and
smothered them
with good olive oil