Local Summer Tomatoes in January

My husband and I wanted to extend our ability to eat local garden and farm produce beyond the seasonal five month period, valuing the environmental benefits of eating locally. After researching preservation techniques, we decided to  increase the size of our gardens, buy more local produce, and begin dehydrating. The cost of the dehydrator was relatively low—compared to purchasing a freezer; the storage space needed for the jars was less than canning; and the process was simple.
Our dehydrator enabled us to savor the flavor of garden fresh summer tomatoes on our pizza last night (even though a foot of snow covered my vegetable garden).  We have discovered, to our great pleasure, that the process of dehydrating, removing the water, does not diminish the taste of summer vegetables when re-hydrated.