On our way back from a few days at the beach over the long weekend, the husband and I decided to do some shopping. Due to limited time, I had a choice to make: clothes shopping at the beach outlets (Coach, Michael Kors, and J. Crew to name a few) or food shopping at produce stands. What do you think this locavore chose? Produce stands obviously!
Heading toward Route 1, we stopped at Tomato Sunshine, a Garden Center and Farmers Market in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
Tomato Sunshine
Since Labor Day is the “offiicial” end of summer, I was excited to see the bounty of summer produce on display, still in its full glory! I went crazy buying up EVERYTHING, including tomatoes, corn, green beans, peaches, cantaloupe, and even a yellow watermelon.
Summer Corn
Honeydew Melons
Late Summer Green Beans
Local Yellow Watermelons
Peaches
Summer Squash and Zucchini
Summer Tomatoes – the BEST!
The local Roma tomatoes looked so good, I bought way too much so I could save some for winter–in the form of sun-dried tomatoes. I don’t have the patience to wait days on end for my tomatoes to dry out in the sun. (And it doesn’t seem sanitary either.) So instead of doing it the old fashioned way, I put my oven to good use and slowly roasted the tomatoes until they were sweet and concentrated. A perfect activity to take on while tackling post vacation laundry.
Make these for a little summer tomato sunshine in the dead of winter.
Summer Beauties
Tomato Sunshine (or Sun-dried Tomatoes in the Oven)
Ingredients:
15 Roma tomatoes, cut length-wise
Couple pinches of kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
Drizzle of olive oil
Preheat oven to 225 degrees. While the oven is preheating, sprinkle the tomatoes (cut side up) with the kosher salt. Allow to sit on a cutting board for 15 minutes to release some moisture. Transfer to a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sugar. Toss to coat and arrange tomatoes (cut side up again) on the baking sheet one inch apart. Bake for about six hours or until tomatoes are dark and dried out, but still pliable.
To save for winter, freeze in zip lock bags and take out as needed for pastas and risotto.
Ready for the oven
Tomato Sunshine
{This post part of Fight Back Fridays on Food Renegade}
Rachel's Table 
When we went to the beach this summer we were so excited to stop at a local organic produce market that looked much like this one. I had BIG PLANS to buy up all of our grocery needs for the week right then and there. My plans were totally foiled. The place we found was such a freaking letdown. I live in a small farming community, so perhaps my expectations were high, but looking at the photos of this adorable spot you found, I wasn’t asking too much! That place looks amazing!
On another note, I will be making these sundried tomatoes with the overload of roma tomatoes still coming out of my garden. Thanks!!
I was very pleased with the variety at Tomato Sunshine. On the rest of the way home we passed about five other stands as well. I wanted to stop at every one of them, but I’d already bought everything I needed.
The sundried tomatoes are fabulous. And so easy! (If you have six hours to spend at home, which is rare for me these days).
I’m glad you guys had a chance to stop there! The name of this place just makes me happy. Let me know how the yellow watermelon is, I’m obsessed with it!
I haven’t even had time to cut into that watermelon yet! But I know yellow ones are usually a bit sweeter than the regular variety.
Sun-drying tomatoes — the traditional Italian way — is sanitary assuming it’s over 100 degrees and dry outside, in which case they dry in the course of a day.
I don’t think I have enough cheesecloth to sanitarily (is that a word?) cover tomatoes drying slowly in 90 degree weather with raging humidity. It’s been bad this week. We can’t all live in the paradise that is California.
California is NOT paradise when it’s tomato-drying weather, believe me. 😉 (If God gives you lemons, you make lemonade.)
One strike for California!
I. Love. Tomatoes.
Now I’m hungry.
Loved this! I’m not a huge tomato person but I love sundried tomatoes. I once heard they were pretty easy to do in the oven. Thanks for the recipe!
Great photos too!
So easy! Pop ’em in the oven, go watch your Brady Bunch DVDs and voila! Sun dried tomatoes.
Ha! Six hours of Brady Bunch DVDs sounds like my kind of Saturday.
You are such a good Grocery Girl! I’m sad to report I would have took your other option, but I am glad you did not! Your photos make me super hungry and I love the quick recipe. Great post!
Thank you! It was a tough decision. 🙂 But I did enjoy all the produce I bought. I would have probably also enjoyed a new Coach bag, but a yellow watermelon is cheaper!
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Umm.. YUM! I’m definitely going to be making these the next time a farmer’s market nearby has an overflow of tomatoes!
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