Tomato Powder

   Once upon a time, a truck used to come around in the area where we lived. The name on the truck was 'Charle's Chips'. I remember the chips came in a big can, and the best flavored ones were the barbecue ones.

   I have always tried to emulate food I like. Then I convert it into a healthful, nourishing recipe, if possible.

   It took years for me to figure out how to make the powder that goes on barbecue potato chips, but now, alas, I have my answer.

   This long, sought after secret was in an ingredient called, 'tomato powder'. The good thing about tomato powder is that you can use it on other things than potato chips. I use mine for chicken, fish, and potatoes. It kind of looks like paprika, so now I can use tomato powder in place of paprika.

Homemade Tomato Powder

   Here is how you make it:

Take about 3-5 good sized tomatoes, and put them in a crock pot or slow cooker. Turn on high for about an hour. They are ready to use to make tomato sauce with when the skin begins to crack. Turn off the slow cooker and let cool (unless you are in a hurry).

 Once cooled, peel the skins off and set aside (do not throw away). Puree the tomatoes. Put the pureed tomatoes in a jar and either freeze or keep refrigerated. Use in any recipe calling for tomato sauce.

   Now take the tomato skins and let dry. You can turn the oven on warm, or whatever the lowest temperature is and put the tomato skins in the oven to dry. Make sure you put the skins on a glass or metal pan or plate. You can also dehydrate them in a food dehydrator.

   It is recommended to turn the tomato skins occasionally, as I have found that as they dry, they tend to stick to whatever surface they are drying on. When they are fully dried, they can be ground into a powder form by putting them in a blender or food processor. If you really want a lot of tomato powder and need it in a hurry, do this recipe with several tomatoes. The more dried tomato skins there are in the blender, the better the grind will be.

   The sauce came from a recipe in the book, 'Square Foot Gardening Cookbook'. If you don't need the sauce part of this recipe, just give it to a neighbor or friend! But I can't imagine cooking too many things without using tomato sauce!



I would like to give credit to those who I learned from on how to make tomato powder, but unfortunately, I went to several web sites when I was researching this and found all this info on it. Now I don't remember where those web sites are, but I am grateful to those who taught others on the web, how to make tomato powder.

  Did you know that tomatoes contain an ingredient called 'lycopene'? The more lycopene a tomato has, the better it is for you. Cooked tomatoes are actually very good for protection from prostate cancer. Black Krim tomatoes have the greatest amount of lycopene in them. (Black Krim tomatoes are an heirloom tomato that is dark in color).

Safety and Health Tips

I know this may be a repeat from a long time ago, but, I have two different tips today that can be helpful.

I have heard of two different houses burning down due to leaving the house while the dryer is running. You can clean the lint filter off by pulling it out and taking the lint off it. Also, you can use this lint for the outside birds who would love it for making nests. But if you use a scented sheet in your dryer to keep clothes from sticking together, that could be harmful for birds.

Never leave a house with the dryer running, unless it is on the air cycle (no heat). Also, clean the pipe out that goes from the dryer to the outside of the house at least once a year, if possible.


The other tip is one I heard somewhere, but have no idea where. When you get inside your car on a hot day, you will turn the air on probably (unless your thyroid isn't working!). The air the comes out will be carrying toxins, and the one in particular is the fumes that are heated up from the outside heat. When you turn the air on in the car, those fumes come right inside the car, and they are carcinogenic. If they are inhaled, they can be harmful After I read that, I always open up the windows in the car and let the heat out first, while having the air conditioning on. I also open up the top of my car. Hot air rises, so I am hoping all the hot air, and the air from the engine that comes into the car, will all go out of the car. Just one more step to be on the safe side. Let your car air out!