Dee Randall wrote:

> I usually prepare sun-dried tomatoes when they are dried by putting them in
> warm-to-boiling water and letting them soak for a period of time, then
> depending on the recipe and their use, they remain in a bottle of olive oil
> for some time, sometimes adding basil and garlic.

A rather bad idea. Rehydrated tomatoes could be carrying botulinus
spores. Likewise the basil and garlic. The oil provides an anaerobic
environment for the spores to germinate and grow and produce their toxin.

If you're going to do this, store it in the fridge and use it within a
week. The odds are low that you'll grow the critters, but once will
change your life.

Pastorio