Tomato Pulp Crackers

Late summer brings hoards of luscious ripe tomatoes. For weeks you can’t eat enough of them. You can save the harvest by dehydrating or canning, but still you have leftover bowls of tomato pulp and seeds. Don’t throw it out! Turn the pulp into healthy and delicious crackers with this easy recipe. While we used whatever raw and toasted seeds we had on hand, feel free to experiment. If you start with fresh and tasty ingredients, you can’t go wrong.

Meanwhile, dehydrate the quartered plum tomatoes and enjoy them all winter log. Great for pizzas, salads, sauteing and more.

Yield: About 100 grams (3.5 oz) of crackers for each cup of tomato pulp.
Timing: 5 minutes preparation and 8 hours in the Sahara Folding Dehydrator.

Ingredients

Equipment: Brød & Taylor Sahara Folding Dehydrator, silicon drying mats. Blender or food processor recommended for blending tomato pulp. Nuts can be chopped by hand with a knife or lightly chopped in a blender.

Note: Each cup of pulp will require a single silicon drying mat. For one quart of pulp , use four mats.

Wash and prepare tomatoes. Quarter tomatoes lengthwise. With a thin sharp knife, cut out the central white flesh and pulp. Press out any remaining seeds and reserve all in a large bowl. (To dry the tomatoes, press the quartered sections flat with a large spatula and then split again lengthwise. Lay out tomato pieces peel side down on dehydrator shelves and dry 10-15 hours at 125F / 52C depending on quantity.)

Prepare cracker mix. Blend the tomato pulp lightly and combine all ingredients. Take care with added salt as some seeds may also contain salt. Dehydration concentrates flavors so your crackers may end up saltier than you planned. Seeds may be used raw, or toasted in a dry skillet over medium heat for a more intense taste.

Spread the pulp mixture. Use a spatula to spread the tomato pulp mixture in a even layer across the mat. Aim for 1/4″ / 6mm but there is no need to be precise.

Dry in Sahara dehydrator. Use an automated two-step drying process for best results. (Refer to the Sahara instruction manual for details.)

TIME 1: 2 hours TEMP 1: 160F / 71 C

TIME 2: 6 hours TEMP 2: 130F / 54 C

Because the starting mixture contains so much water, the high starting temperature will not heat the pulp significantly but it will speed the evaporation of the water. (Evaporating water will cool the pulp.) After much of the water is evaporated, the lower temperature will keep the pulp from getting too hot. Better for maintaining the best nutrition in these healthy snacks.

Variations: Flax seeds (ground for the best nutritive value), hemp seeds, chia seeds. Try adding some dried red pepper flakes or powder for some extra kick!