Beat the Season
Dried Tomatoes are the Solution
While hardly anything beats a fresh summer tomato when it comes to flavor, sun dried tomatoes come darn close.
What is it about sun dried tomatoes that makes them so special? Well for one producers only use the best tomatoes that are available. These tomatoes, free of blemishes are picked at the peak of ripeness and then carefully dried under strict controls. Drying removes most of the moisture content, i.e. water. The result is a dried tomato with a very intense tomato flavor.
Did you know it can take up to 20 pounds of fresh tomatoes to produce just one pound of dried tomatoes? The amazing thing is that after drying, the tomatoes still retain all of the nutritional values of the fresh ones. They are high in lycopene, antioxidants and vitamin C. Just as an aside, this is further proof of the wonderful health benefits of so many ingredients contained in the Mediterranean diet.
Our sulfite-free tomatoes also have an added bonus. They are very low in salt-only about 1% to be exact. This makes them perfect for those who have to monitor their sodium intake.
It is believed that sun-dried tomatoes had their origins in the Mediterranean region as a way to preserve the tomatoes during the winter months when the fresh ones were not available. It is interesting to note how a very simple, unadulterated product known to the country folk for centuries as a staple part of their diet became a part of the gourmet craze in the United States.
We've tasted, and I might add, used a lot of sun dried tomatoes in our kitchen. Constantly searching for the finest, we believe the selection we offer rivals the best.
Traditionally sun dried tomatoes were never cured with sulfur dioxide added, but now they are. Why? The sulfur dioxide preserves the bright red color and prevents rotting. Even though a minimal amount is generally used in preservation, a small percentage of people are allergic to it.
Not to despair however! We have a solution.
Our delicious sulfite-free dried tomatoes from the beautiful Shenandoah Valley in Virginia are just for you.
Joy and Carey Lokey, the owners of L'Esprit de Campagne supply us with their delicious, sulfite-free dried tomato products from the Shenandoah. I have known the Lokeys since 1989 and their dedication to offer only the finest is without parallel. If you haven't tried their tomatoes this is a good opportunity for you to try them.
Whether your choice of dried tomato is the traditional sun dried tomato or the sulfite-free ones, we guarantee you won't be disappointed.
We want you to try them!
So this month only we are giving you a 10% discount on any of our dried tomato products. Use the code [removed for archive] when ordering. By the way, Mom might enjoy sun-dried tomatoes as an unusual Mother's Day gift.
Chef Andrea has some great recipes using dried tomatoes. She concurs with our assessment of dried tomatoes.
