You Say Tomato

 

Today our day began with a visit to a sun-dried tomato producer.  The tomatoes grown in Sicily are unique and extraordinary.  You may have thought that San Marzano's were your favorite, but if you haven't tasted the tomatoes of Pachino, then you haven't tasted the best tomatoes, according to our guide Alessandro.  When the tomatoes are ready to pick, the summer temperatures can be upwards of 100 degrees Farenheit, the vines are dried, and the tomatoes are ready to pick. 
We were greeted by the owner and his wife, and told about their process. This is a family run business as most are in Sicily, and they had just gotten in a few of the starter plants, and they will be planted within the next few days. 

We proceeded into the processing plant to get an explanation of the process that the farm uses. 

Packed and ready to go

These ladies are packing some dried tomatoes for a shipment; since it's not harvest time, there were no ripe tomatoes to taste.  

time for tasting!

chopped dried tomatoes

halved cherry tomatoes

spicy strips of tomato

Local color

I do love a good Fiat

And the group shot with all our bags of tomatoes

Next, we headed to Marzamemi a small fishing village that is a delightful stop on the way to Siracusa for lunch.  There is a tuna processor in the village, and we stopped to learn about the tuna processing and to taste some samples before our lunch. 

Our fabulous restaurant for lunch

eating lunch on the edge of the Mediterranean

Menu

These were little chips made of carrot, beet and potato

Amuse bouche; a tiny cone with sesame seeds filled with ricotta and an anchovy; then wash it down with a passion fruit chaser

Home made breads

Octopus starter

black rice with shrimp and fonduta sauce

Free range cannoli

And after lunch they rolled us onto the bus and we headed to Ortigia.

fisherman on the rocks

This village should be on your list to visit if you come to Sicily.  Ciao for now.